


The Lost Marauder

by jess (jess_m)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Newt Scamander, F/M, Flashbacks, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Minor Queenie Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski, Minor Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Third Person Limited, Protective Queenie Goldstein
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-05-20 21:44:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19385221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jess_m/pseuds/jess
Summary: Reminiscing a friend who went missing Halloween night 1981, Sirius and Remus take matters into their own hands and try to do what the Ministry failed in doing for a whole year: they were going to find her dead or alive. Together, they track her from that Halloween night to wherever she may lay potentially seeking nothing more than a body to bury.Meanwhile, in the 1970's Joanna Kowalski, daughter of Queenie and Jacob Kowalski, forges a group of pranksters that will stand the test of time through her four friends. She's seared into the memories of every Hogwarts professor as the worst of the Marauders and yet she has a single weakness, Sirius Black.





	1. The Missing Body

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes, I'm starting a new story even though I've got the Game of Thrones and Doctor Who stories to get to. This idea just wouldn't let up. So, a couple of notes beforehand:
> 
> 1\. Warnings: This war is going to be a lot more graphic and serious than it would have been if written for Scholastic. I will spare no expense when detailing how bad the war can get. There will be many deaths written in detail, murders, allusions to potential rape (though I won't write rape scenes), suicidal thoughts, parental violence, and abuse (though that's common in Sirius Black fics), drug and alcohol abuse, underage sex, thoughts of self-harm, homophobia, and the common warnings that would come with the racist type of language used against Muggle-borns and half-bloods. I will leave warnings on each chapter for these as I know many things can be triggering or harm some people who wish to read this.
> 
> 2\. I do not own the Marauders though I truly wish I did because they'd have a limited TV series by now. I also do not own plot events, dialogue, and/or any events found in the original Harry Potter books, movies, and spinoffs. I literally own nothing that is recognizable or has been used before.

**June 15, 1993**

Someone once said that memories become songs when they’re forgotten. He wondered absently where her song was. Her great poem? The tale of her remarkable life and her creation of the most esteemed pranksters in Hogwarts history? 

Sirius Black rubbed his thumb over the picture of the laughing girl, her eyes flicking between a younger version of himself and Remus Lupin. Her two favorite people. He smirked and placed the photo back inside the box with the countless other images of her with the Marauders dating all the way back to their first year.

He flicked through all the pictures of her that Remus had kept stored away. Her thirteenth birthday at Hogwarts when they set off a hundred fireworks for her, the day when her and Prongs wandered around the school in their Animagus forms, Sirius dancing with her at Lily and James’ wedding, and finally the last image they had left of her: she was grinning at the camera while baby Harry tried and failed to climb up her back.

Sirius picked up her last picture and narrowed his eyes at it. He sighed deeply as he stared into her bright blue eyes and willed himself to remember where she might have gone. Willed his mind to just conjure up some strange memory he couldn’t remember forgetting that would tell him everything he needed to know.

Remus watched him carefully as he tiptoed into the room and furrowed his brows at his longtime friend. “Staring won’t bring her back, you know.”

Sirius groaned and tossed the image back into the box. “Where is she, Moony? Last I heard from her was Halloween when she was going to bring some barmy Muggle Halloween outfit for Harry,” he muttered. He turned to face his friend and glanced helplessly at the worn-down werewolf. “You don’t think-?”

Remus knew what he meant. Had the very woman who had been absolutely everything been nothing but collateral damage as Voldemort tried to get to Harry? Had she just become one more Marauder slain cruelly on that night? Remus took a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his face. He collapsed down beside Sirius, glimpsing into the box filled with images of their best friend. “I don’t know,” he confessed with a shrug. “The Ministry claimed you kidnapped her when she planned to tell Lily and James about the betrayal and though they tried to save her it was likely she died of starvation.”

Sirius grit his teeth and bit back the thousands of curses ready to flow from his lips at the Ministry and instead he focused his irritations toward Remus. “And you?” He implored with a raised brow. “What did you think?”

Remus shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on his hands. “As far as I knew you had sold James and Lily out to Voldemort,” he muttered. “How was I supposed to know the difference?”

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the werewolf. “I _loved_ her. Fuck, I _love_ her,” he amended with a shake of his head. He took a deep breath and tried to think past the way his heart clenched at the idea of ever allowing her to be hurt or hurting her himself. “But, if the Ministry thought I kidnapped her that must mean they don’t know what really happened.”

“And no body,” Remus added with a small frown. “I asked them for a body to bury they said they could never find one. They spent a year looking for her. They went all out for the war heroes and I think her mother scared them into keeping up the search,” he remembered with a smirk.

Sirius snorted. “Who knew the witch that worked for Grindelwald could end up helping us?”

Remus furrowed his brows and leaned forward towards the Animagus. “What are you suggesting Pads?” He saw the look in his best friend’s eyes. It was the very same look he and James caught every time they had the perfect idea for a prank. It sang of mischief and defiance from ages ago and Remus almost wanted to scream that whatever Sirius was thinking he would dive right in so long as the Animagus kept that look in his eyes.

Sirius flashed his famous smirk and Remus fought a hopeless battle against a returning smile at the sight of it. “I’m suggesting we do what the Ministry couldn’t. We find her,” Sirius proclaimed.

Remus’ eyes widened and that mischievous air that had begun to grow between the two Marauders dissolved into something much more dangerous and worrisome. “Pads, you do remember that you’re an escaped convict, don’t you? And the Ministry tried to look for her for six months? Day and Night? Mrs. Kowalski even helped them and Mr. Kowalski sent out notices in the Muggle communities?”

Sirius simply smiled. “Yes, but none of them knew her like we did, Moony. She told us absolutely everything. More than she told her bloody Mum and Dad. If anyone could find her it’d be us.”

“You do realize that even if we find her it may be a dead body? Who’s to say she’s survived this long without help?”

“She’s a Marauder,” Sirius hummed. “None of us have survived in the best conditions after the war but we survived. I have to believe that somewhere out there she’s surviving and even if she isn’t, at the very least she deserves a proper burial.”

Remus groaned and ran his hands through his hair, slightly pulling at the ends. Sirius, on the other hand, hopped up and grabbed the box of photos. He closed the box and grabbed a bag from Remus’ wardrobe. He tossed the box into the bag as well as several changes of clothes Remus had picked up for him after Dumbledore insisted Sirius lay low at the werewolf’s home.

Remus watched him with a clenched jaw.

“There’s no talking you out of this, is there?”

Sirius grinned at him. “Not a chance. The only question is whether or not you’re coming with me.”

Remus eyed him for a moment, truly debating what might happen if he said no but one look at Sirius’ skinny deprived frame told him that wasn’t an option. If he didn’t go with his friend the man would likely get himself killed or thrown back in Azkaban before he could even leave the street. 

Remus sighed deeply and marched out of the room. “I’ll pack the food,” he huffed and Sirius choked out a laugh.


	2. A Chance Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few changes to canon:
> 
> 1\. It's never discussed whether Queenie, Jacob, Newt, and Tina move to England (or in Newt's case back to England) or it isn't based on what I could find. If they do, lovely! Regardless, in my version, Newt and Tina moved to England shortly after their marriage. Queenie and Jacob reunite after Grindelwald is defeated, get married and have four kids in New York. Quentin, Newt, Jacob Jr, and Nicholas. None of these children are confirmed in canon to my knowledge, all that is confirmed is they potentially have a grandson named Quentin Kowalski. There is also no confirmation I can find that Queenie and Jacob ever move to England.
> 
> 2\. Canonically, many of the Fantastic Beasts cast are born close to 1900. This would make them in their sixties around the time of this chapter and in their seventies during the Marauders' time at Hogwarts. This didn't feel right because when I pictured Queenie and Jacob parenting the children they were still fairly young, now I know for wizards this would still be young but for Jacob, it's not. That means in the late sixties all of the Fantastic Beasts cast that appears in this fic would be in their early forties. They'd reach their fifties towards the end of the seventies.
> 
> 3\. I know Grimmauld Place is mentioned as being the place where Sirius grew up but that didn't work for me so I picture him living in Black Manor (it would probably look a lot like Malfoy Manor) until his teens, then they move into Grimmauld Place (which is while all the nude pictures were up). Also, I know the layouts of the environment are likely super inaccurate. Bare with me I like the woods.
> 
> I just wanted to clarify that for anyone who might be a stickler for canon and point out flaws.
> 
> WARNINGS; Neglect, a hex used against Sirius by family, sibling rivalry.

**November 4, 1966**

Sirius Black sat curled up in the corner of his bed, the furthest from the door he could get as he nursed his bloody lip. His cousin was quite the charmer when he didn’t laugh at her joke over the expense of Muggles and had the nerve to ask why it was funny. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of his birthday dinner she would hex him if it was Christmas morning and his parents would laugh all the same.

Under his breath, he muttered a hundred curses to him and solemn promises that when he got the chance he would leave this bloody house and never return. 

Just as he was about to stand up to leave his bed, a strange pound on the wall had him flying off the bed and staring at the wall as though it might creep forwards and attack him.

He furrowed his brows and slowly crept towards the wall when a face popped up in the window and made him jump back again.

It was a little girl, likely no older than him with dirt all over her face save for her mouth and bright blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was tangled beyond anything he had ever seen with twigs and leaves wrapped up inside the dirt stretching it out to three times the size it would normally be.

She glanced behind her as if some strange monster would pop out from the woods behind Black Manor and trample her.

“Let me in!” She cried, her accent just barely British as if she had just recently been introduced to Britain. She pounded her hand on the window and without even thinking about the lashes he may receive or the danger she may pose, Sirius scrambled forward and opened the window.

The strange girl tumbled inside dropping enough dirt to make his mother die of heart attack onto his bed. She climbed up and slammed the door shut just as four older boys ran out of the woods, one holding a wand and two holding several Bludgers.

They looked fairly similar to her, the one holding a wand hand blonde hair, tan skin, and dark eyes, the two holding Bludgers had dark hair and blue eyes just like her and the boy holding nothing but a confused look had blonde hair and dark eyes just like the boy with the wand. The girl watched them carefully, narrowing her eyes as they seemed to be speaking to each other. Eventually, they all ran back into the woods and she collapsed backward letting out a deep sigh.

Sirius glanced between her and the window, unsure of where to go from here. “Er, hi?” He offered and she shot up in the bed.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” the girl cried, realizing the manners her mother had scolded into her were severely lacking. “My name is Joanna Kowalski,” she said, offering her hand despite Sirius’ hesitation. “I live just beyond the woods and my brothers, bloody twats the lot of them, thought it would be funny to chase me with Bludgers when I asked to join them in a game of Quidditch.”

Sirius’ grey eyes widened. “You’re a witch?” He breathed.

“Yes!” Joanna exclaimed with a smile. “Though my brother’s and I all go to Muggle schools first,” she sighed, laying back on the bed once more. “I don’t get it but Mum says it’s the only thing Dad insists on and she’s not planning on fighting him when she broke his heart fighting for Grindelwald and he had every right to toss her to the side,” she rambled.

Sirius winced. “Ah, so you’re a half-blood?”

“Yep. My Dad’s a Muggle and my Mum’s a witch,” she beamed. “What about you? I know you’re a wizard because I’ve seen you accidentally levitating some sticks in the woods. But even if you weren’t you knowing what a Bludger is pretty much answers that for me,” she chuckled.

Sirius smiled softly at her and shook his head. This girl was far more energy that he had encountered in his sheltered life at the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black or his pureblood primary school. Yet, he found he enjoyed it. He wanted to capture it and hold onto it for as long as she would let him. He wanted to live in her chaotic energy.

He sighed softly and glanced down. “I’m-Well I’m a pureblood,” he mumbled. “My name is Sirius Black.”

“Oh, _Black_ ,” Joanna hummed. “My Uncle Newt said they were a strange lot but not to judge a book by it’s cover because he used to be absolutely smitten with this girl Leta Lestrange and her family is scary,” she mumbled, shivering at the memory of how Newt had described them.

“Newt?” Sirius frowned. “Do you mean Newt Scamander?”

“Yep!” Joanna exclaimed. “My Mum is his wife’s sister. He comes over a lot, positively insists he’s so happy I’m going to be starting out at Hogwarts because he thinks I’ll make the grade for a Hufflepuff. I think he’s just saying that because he was a Hufflepuff, personally.”

Sirius’ gaze fell. “I’m probably going to be Slytherin. My whole family is.”

Joanna’s face softened as she looked up into Sirius’ eyes and saw the true strain behind them. “Do you not like your family?” She asked, her tone gentler than anybody who had ever spoken to him before. 

Sirius solemnly shook his head and strangely Joanna’s face brightened.

“That’s okay. I can be your family,” she shrugged. “And if you get into Slytherin then so be it. I’ll be best friends with a Slytherin just like my Uncle Newt.”

Sirius smiled but narrowed his eyes at her. He was grateful for her kindness but if he had learned anything from his family it was never to trust something that seemed too good to be true. Joanna appeared to be the very definition of that sentiment. “Why are you being so nice to me? We just met when you fell through my window.”

Joanna snorted. “That’s how all the best friendships start,” she assured him. “Plus, what reason would I have to be mean? My Dad always said if you’re mean to the world it’ll make you more enemies than friends. He also bakes for people a lot so making friends is a lot easier to him,” she giggled.

Sirius smirked. “You really mean it though? You’d be willing to be my friend? Even with what you know about the Blacks?”

“I don’t exactly know your whole family history,” she sighed. “My Mum and Uncle Newt just said that some people may not like me very much because I’m not a pureblood and there are certain families that believe only purebloods should be accepted, yours is just one of them.”

“I’m not like that,” Sirius swore, his need to prove himself to those outside his family creeping through. 

Joanna beamed at him. “I can tell, Mum says I have the best sense of people for someone who isn’t a Legilimens.”

“So,” Sirius frowned. “You still want to be friends with me?”

“Of course!” Joanna exclaimed. “You seem nice and anybody who lets a random girl covered in dirt into their room through the window has to be worth knowing.”

“Seriously?” Sirius gasped.

“Seriously,” Joanna giggled. “That’s a good joke if you’ve got the mind for it in the future,” she remarked. She climbed out of his bed and peered at the small hand mirror he had left on a table by his door, she absentmindedly tossed twigs and leaves out of her hair and onto Sirius’ floor. “Now I have to go, my Mum has six kids but she loses it whenever she isn’t certain where one of them is. Namely, me because I’m the only girl,” she sighed, turning back to Sirius to shrug. “Wait.” She froze and narrowed her eyes at Sirius. “Do you know how to play Quidditch?”

“Er, sort of?” Sirius shrugged. “I’ve only played twice with my brother Regulus.”

“Oh, you have siblings too? That’s nice!” Joanna smiled. “But I need a teammate against my brothers. I’ll come back tomorrow and kidnap you so we can learn.”

“You’ll be back tomorrow?” Sirius frowned.

“Yes, is that so hard to believe?” Joanna laughed. “I want to get to know you and something about you just tells me you don’t get out that much,” she remarked and Sirius’ cheeks burned pink as his gaze fell. “It’s alright. My family is the sort that will likely never let you leave once you come. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad gorged you on his baked goodies until you wanted to puke,” she said and Sirius laughed.

Joanna took a deep breath and walked onto his bed. “Until then, I have to go before Mum sends out a search party,” she sighed. “See you tomorrow, Sirius!”

“See-tomorrow,” Sirius mumbled awkwardly, not quite believing that he not only had a friend but a way to escape his horrid family, waving as she pushed the window open and jumped out.

* * *

Joanna skipped across the field back to the woods, until she heard a loud voice cry, “Joanna Porpetina Kowalski if you don’t get your little heinie back here-!”

Joanna paled and raced as fast as her thin legs could take her through the woods, effectively ruining her hair once again as the trees slapped her for her troubles. She collapsed as she fell out on the other side but she didn’t stop moving, dragging herself through the mud to the little cottage with a blonde older woman standing outside bouncing a baby on her hip and looking ready to burst.

Joanna peeled herself up out of the mud and scrambled to her feet, running up to her mother with her chest heaving and bugs swarming around her.

“What on earth happened to ya?!” Joanna’s mother, Queenie Kowalski, exclaimed. “The boys said they were playing with you and chased you into the woods and all of a sudden you were gone,” she huffed. “I was about to send them right back out after you with your father once he gets home but here you are popped up all fine and dandy.”

“I’m so _not_ fine and dandy,” Joanna moaned. “I was mugged by a bunch of angry bears it was the worst experience of my life, Mum, they took everything I had.”

“You don’t own anything,” Queenie bit back. “And I know you’re lying so why don’t you just spare me the sob story about bears that aren’t in England and tell me about the boy.”

Joanna groaned, shoving herself past her mother and into the cottage. “You promised Dad you wouldn’t read my mind anymore.”

“I promised that when he’s around but right now he’s at the shop and you got some answers to give,” Queenie said, slamming the door behind them and marching inside.

“Can I at least get my trainers off?” Joanna moaned. “It’s been quite the journey, madame.”

“Toss your sneakers outside I don’t want that mud on my carpet,” Queenie sighed.

Joanna did as she instructed and turned to her with a small smirk. “So, where should I begin? Your children, the scoundrels, chased me with Bludgers because I simply asked if I could join them in the fun little game of Quidditch they were part of,” she declared innocently, her hand over her heart.

Queenie narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “You made fun of them and declared you could play the game better than them.”

“That doesn’t warrant Bludger beatings!” Joanna cried. “But regardless they chased me into the woods despite my desperate cries for help and I stumbled across this really big house before they knew where I had ran out at.”

“That’s the house of Black, sweetheart, what did Uncle Newt and I tell you?” She sighed.

“I know but I couldn’t exactly pretend to be a gnome and if you’re searching my mind you _do_ know I was briefly scared because I’ve seen how badly a Bludger can hurt,” Joanna muttered. 

Queenie nodded solemnly. While Joanna was recounting what happened, Queenie was rifling around in her mind and making sure the girl wasn’t lying to her. She rarely did it when her husband was home because Jacob so frequently launched into rants about how the kids will close themselves off more if they have a mother that knows absolutely everything that wanders through their minds. 

Still, if her husband wasn’t home and the kids had gotten into trouble she typically did it regardless and she and the children reached an understanding that she wouldn’t tell Jacob about whatever they had done if they didn’t tell about her using Legilimens. To this point, it had still worked out.

“Anyway, so I climbed up the wall a little bit until I hit a window and the boy there let me in. His name is Sirius and he isn’t like his family. He said he’s scared of becoming a Slytherin and he seemed terrified by me like all he had known was his family so-.”

“You were quite the surprise for him,” Queenie chuckled softly. Her children were born bouncing with energy and she liked to think it was all because of her but she knew she and Jacob had enough life and energy within them to make those poor children explode with it. 

She learned the hard way that energy could be dangerous when she and Jacob decided to move to England, closer to her sister and Newt, just after Joanna was born. Her three boys; Quentin, Newt, Jacob Jr, and Nicholas, were absolutely devastated. They threw countless fits often ending in the destruction of many priceless items across the house. It was even worse considering Nicholas was just beginning to get into his accidental magic. 

Even without this experience, every time she watched her children interact she knew their attitudes could be quite a bit to handle for the ill-prepared.

“I was hoping to bring him over and help him learn Quidditch because he’s only ever played with his brother,” Joanna announced. Queenie beamed down at her.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Queenie hummed. “Tell your father you met him while you were out playing and don’t practice around your brothers, I don’t want them trying to hit you with Bludgers.”

“Okay, are they in trouble?” Joanna wondered, her eyes slightly glinting at the idea. She took great joy in watching her brothers get what was coming to them whenever they tried to hurt her.

Queenie laughed and nodded. “They’re going to bed without supper but when your father comes home-.”

“The animals will be uncaged,” Joanna hummed. “Thanks for the warning!” She cried, skipping down the hall to her room.

Queenie chuckled softly. “Any time, sweetheart.”


	3. A Trip To Diagon Alley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any irregularities in canon purely exist for the sake of this narrative.

**September 3, 1968**

Joanna laughed relentlessly as Sirius continued to attempt to leap up and try to grab her broom, each time she flew just out of his reach.

“Jo, get off my broom!” Sirius hollered.

“Never!” Joanna cried. “Steal one of my brother’s old brooms! It’s not like they’re using them.”

“No” Sirius moaned. “I’m not getting wood stuck in my arse if anything  _ you  _ should be the one using that boom.”

Joanna rolled her eyes and flew higher. “You’re just being a spoilsport now aren’t you?”

“I swear Joanna I will climb a tree and jump on you,” Sirius huffed, leaping into the air once again only to fall short.

Joanna’s eyes widened as though Sirius had just gifted her the greatest Christmas present wrapped in a golden bow. “That’s such a dumb idea,” she giggled, “do it,” she muttered, her face falling deadly serious. Sirius smirked.

“You think I was kidding?” Sirius taunted. He marched over to the tallest tree in the yard and began climbing.

Joanna swerved so the broom wasn’t too far from the tree, not because she wanted to make it easy for him but she really didn’t want to see him fall from that sort of height and break every bone in his body.

Sirius climbed up to a branch that left him about eye level with her and flashed a Cheshire Cat smile she had only ever started to see him wear after his visitations to her family cottage became a regular occurrence. He almost started to mirror a lot of the traits her family carried if she paid close enough attention to his habits. He was far more open than he had been when they first met, he was far more enthusiastic and courageous willing to do things like climb a tree and pounce on her. It made her heart swell knowing that rather than scaring him and making him close in on himself she and her family worked to crack him open and make him happier than he had likely ever been.

“Y’know, thinking about it now maybe I should be worried about how obsessed you are with this broom,” Joanna hummed. “Is there a special someone you need to tell the class about?” She asked, raising a brow at Sirius and gesturing between him and the broom.

Sirius rolled his eyes, laughing as he shook his head at her. “I’ll have you know Mrs. Broom and I are very happy together, Kowalski.”

“Mrs. Broom!” Joanna exclaimed. “Sirius Black, you dog, I never thought you’d fall for married women.” She turned her attention to the broom beneath her. “I am so sorry ma’am, he is an absolute animal.”

Sirius barked out a laugh and, keeping one hand on the branch, he used his other hand to swipe at her and try to grab either the broom or something on her.

Joanna quickly swerved and he ended up grabbing nothing but the air. She cackled as she flew closer to him. “You’re going to have to try harder than that if you-,” she was cut off by her own screams as Sirius placed his foot on the back of the broom and made her fall back into his leg. “You absolute twat!” She shrieked. 

He laughed and tried to use his free hand to pull her off the broom but she used one hand to fight him off while using the other to attempt to climb back up the broom and away from him.

“Ow! Ow!  _ Ow _ ?!” Sirius cried, trying to use his leg to kick her in the back while she punched at him.

“Let it go, Sirius!” Joanna hollered. She gave up trying to fend him off with one hand and aimlessly kicked her foot everywhere but him while she used both arms to pull herself back up the broom.

“Oh, this means war,” Sirius hummed. He kept his foot on the back of the broom but placed both hands on the branch and shifted along it until he was as close to her as he could get without bending or breaking the branch and making himself fall.

Once he was close enough, he pressed his foot down harder on the back of the broom making it stand up straight mid-air.

Joanna shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut, clinging onto the broom as tightly as she could but even as she did so she couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up within her chest. Her eyes flickered open despite the treacherous position she sat in and her laughter only grew and soon Sirius quickly joined her, the pair roaring with laughter at their current predicament.

As Joanna was laughing, Sirius used one free hand to push the broom upside down so she was quite literally dangling from it. She screamed with laughter and he chuckled as he began slipping his fingers off the branch to jump onto the broom.

Right as he hung there with three fingers keeping him from falling, Queenie Kowalski headed out of the cottage with Joanna’s baby brother Matthew on her hip, her curiosity peaked by the loud laughter outside.

Her face fell when she spotted the scene the two children were having a joyous time within. She sat Matthew down on the pathway leading to the front door of the cottage and flew towards the children. 

“What in Merlin’s name do the two of you think you’re doing?!” Queenie cried, her normally well-kept curls flying apart as she ran.

Joanna furrowed her brows and turned to meet her mother’s eyes on the ground with a bright smile and wide eyes. “Oh, hey, mum. Sirius is trying to get on the broom. He’s very persistent,” she remarked.

Sirius snorted. “Just doing what I’ve got to, Mrs. Kowalski,” he shrugged. “Can’t have people like Joanna going ‘round doubting I’m able to do these things.”

“He’s certainly proving me wrong,” Joanna giggled.

Queenie rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She certainly wasn’t as young as she once was and these kids were going to be the death of her. She could have sworn none of her children had been as lively or high on adrenaline all the time as Joanna Kowalski was.

“Please, get down before the pair of you hurt yourselves,” Queenie pleaded.

Sirius shrugged. “Yes, ma’am.”

Sirius eyed the broomstick and Joanna’s eyes widened. “Sirius, no,” Joanna insisted, her voice breathless with amusement. “It couldn’t possibly work, Sirius-!”

She was cut off as Sirius Black leaped from the branch onto her broomstick and Joanna sobbed with laughter as the broomstick lost total control trying to figure out which side it was being steered from. 

It swerved wildly through the air and Sirius and Joanna screamed with joy as though they were on a Muggle fair ride. 

“Okay, okay wait let’s see if we can land it!” Joanna hollered over Sirius’ laughter. “Fly forward and down.”

Sirius did as she instructed and she flew back and downwards as well. 

Joanna guided them with commands on where they should fly and after they'd had their fun, Joanna called out to Sirius to land.

They glided down gently and the broom had to land on its side so it wouldn’t smash into either of them, but when they both rolled off they were clutching their sides, absolutely breathless with laughter.

Queenie skidded over to them and immediately began inspecting the pair of them for any injuries. “Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No,” Joanna gasped, fighting to catch her breath as she turned to Sirius with the largest smile Queenie had ever seen on her daughter. “We have got to do that again,” she insisted.

Sirius could only nod frantically in agreement.

It was only then that Queenie morphed into the stern mother. “Oh, no,” Queenie hummed. “As far as I’m concerned Sirius won’t be getting his broom back for quite some time and you two are going to be playing in the cottage from now on.”

“But, Mum,” Joanna groaned as she sat up, grass in her hair making Queenie twitch. “You don’t understand. That wasn’t the worst thing that has happened today by a long shot. Something worse is happening right this moment.”

Queenie furrowed her brows. She looked between the children and seeing neither of them do anything but stare up at her, she caved. “What do you mean? What’s happening now?”

“Matthew is halfway up that tree by the front door and that branch is starting to really sag under his weight,” Joanna informed her mother matter-of-factly.

Queenie’s head whipped around so fast Joanna worried she might face the pain of whiplash after she saved her youngest child.

Queenie bolted over to the small boy and Joanna fell back laughing as Sirius quickly joined her.

“When-,” Sirius gasped. “When did you notice he was climbing the tree over there?” He wondered.

“About a minute before we landed,” Joanna shrugged, beaming at him like a prankster pulling off the greatest prank. “Until he was in actual danger I figured he wasn’t harming anybody so might as well leave him be.”

Sirius snorted. “Whatever house we’re in he’s got to be in it with us.”

“Oh, I can dream,” Joanna moaned. She clambered to her feet just as her mother was frantically clutching her baby brother and kissing her baby brother while he stared vacantly out into the yard. She held out her hand and held Sirius to his feet as well. “He’s the only brother that hasn’t managed to irritate the living daylights out of me,” she remarked and Sirius chuckled.

Queenie headed over to them with Matthew still clenched tightly in her arms. “Your father doesn’t hear a word of this,” she instructed, her face deadly calm. “Either of you,” she warned, wagging her finger between Sirius and Joanna.

The two merely nodded, knowing better than to question her, blackmail her with the information, or try to use anything against her. Even if they wanted to her being a Legilimens meant she would know and give them every bit of torment she could reasonably whip out as a good mother. If they somehow managed to get past her with this information, Jacob somehow always managed to find out and then it was a hundred times worse solely because of how protective he was of Queenie.

Once Joanna had been caught by Uncle Newt trying to pull one over on her mother and no matter how many times Sirius asked what happened she always got the same vacant look as though her soul had just left her body. Occasionally, there was an odd shiver thrown into the look.

They didn’t mention that day anymore.

Nevertheless, Queenie didn’t seem convinced that Joanna and Sirius wouldn’t try something equally as reckless and foolhardy during the day so, with a deep breath, she narrowed her eyes at them.  “Since I don’t trust you, the pair of you are going to come with me to Diagon Alley. You can run around Quality Quidditch Supplies all you like so long as I can see you and know you aren’t getting up to any funny business. Am I understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the pair chorused.

Queenie smiled gently. “Very well then. I can’t apparate will all of you so we’ll have to go by Floo I suppose.”

They were about to head inside but when they hit the pathway leading up to the door when Sirius froze. He frowned and glanced down at his feet and snorted when he realized that only after his foot had hit the stone did it sink in that he was missing a shoe.

“I think I dropped my shoe somewhere in the yard while we were flying,” he told them. “I’ll be right back.”

And with that, he ran out into the yard to search the grass for his missing shoe while Joanna, Matthew, and Queenie all headed inside to the Floo.

“Er, Mum?” Joanna implored with a raised brow. “Why the sudden need to go to Diagon Alley? Quentin got that job at Hogsmeade and all the boys are at school so why’s it important?”

“Well, I asked your father this morning what he got for Nicholas after Nicholas owled us and told us he got into Ravenclaw and he said he just sent some baked treats from the shop. Now, you know how horrid your father is at the packaging and I’m willing to bet even if it wasn’t something your brother has gotten a hundred times it’ll be smashed by the time it gets to Hogwarts so we’re going to get something he might actually enjoy. Plus, Quentin owled just a few minutes ago and announced he finally got moved into his new flat so I decided we might as well buy something for him, hm?” She prompted.

“Hold on, Nicholas is in Ravenclaw with Newt? I thought you said he got into Hufflepuff with Junior?” Joanna frowned.

“No, sweetheart,” Queenie smiled, patting her daughter on her head. Joanna winced at the kind pat. She always hated it because it made her feel short as if she didn’t already know she was shorter than everyone around her. “Quentin was quite put out though, he was counting on just one of his siblings being in Slytherin like he was. He claims he’s holding out for Matthew,” she chuckled.

“Of course he wouldn’t want me to be in the same house as him,” Joanna muttered.

“Oh, don’t be upset sweetheart,” Queenie frowned. “I’m sure it was a simple misunderstanding on his part.”

“No, believe me, I’m fine,” Joanna assured her. “I wouldn’t want to be in the same house as him if someone threatened to Avada me otherwise.”

“Dear, don’t talk like that!” Queenie scolded. “Your brother loves you, it’s just in his own way,” she shrugged.

“He hates me because he thinks I’m the reason we’re in England,” Joanna huffed. “But it doesn’t matter, he’s out of the house now,” she shrugged. “I’m gonna go see if Sirius needs help finding his shoe.”

“Joanna, you and your brother are going to have to work this out eventually. You may be still a child but he’s ten years older than you which means he’s going to have to take responsibility for this.”

“It’s fine, Mum,” Joanna groaned. “He’s gone. What harm can we do to each other now?”

“He’s still your brother.”

“He’s still a twat,” Joanna retorted. “I’m gonna go out and help Sirius.”

And with that, she flung the door open, not caring as it slammed against the wall or slammed back into the doorway as it closed. She rubbed her arms and tried to shake off the rising tension curling around her bones. Her relationship with Quentin had always been a shaky subject. Ever since she was two-years-old he would neglect her or place her in potentially dangerous scenarios solely because he was bitter. Queenie and Jacob had wanted to move to England after her first birthday and he never quite got over that no matter how well he claimed he was doing at Hogwarts. After all, he had to face being sorted into a house at Ilvermorny and making friends only to have that taken away almost as quickly when Joanna had turned one at the end of May.

Quentin faced people making fun of the American, the oldest student to get a public Sorting at Hogwarts, and his own house insulting him for his family. No matter how old he got or how often their parents tried to convince him otherwise he always held firm to the belief that it was Joanna’s fault they were in England and seeing as she was the first in the family to spend all her time with English friends whilst growing up in an English primary school, she adopted an English accent rather than an American like the rest of the family. This only added fuel to Quentin’s hatred.

Quentin was one of the many reasons Joanna and Sirius got on so well. Though Sirius’ brother was younger and hers was older they both knew the hatred they could bore for a sibling who seemed to be the polar opposite of them. Quentin clung onto his American accent just as Regulus clung to every little fact his parents shoved down his throat. 

They both had ways of going about life that Joanna and Sirius could never understand or relate despite being raised in the same house by the same people.

Joanna sighed deeply and peered around the cottage for Sirius. She knew he hated life with the brother he deemed lost to the purebloods and the family who held no boundaries when they tried to instill their ideas in him, but she hoped he found some sort of escape or happiness with her and her family like she tried to provide him whenever he came round.

In the backyard, she heard two distant voices arguing and furrowed her brows. Nobody else was supposed to be home.

She crept closer until she could make out who the voices were and what they might be saying.

“-no choice, Sirius!” A voice she didn’t recognize snapped. “Mother wants you to come home now and-!”

“I don’t care what the bloody witch wants!” Sirius yelled. “I’ll stay here as long as I want and she’s just going to have to live with that!”

“Sirius, she told Father!” The other voice half-pleaded. “If I go back without you-.”

“Then don’t go back,” Sirius sighed. “You don’t have to put up with them, Reg. You can come with us if you want I’m sure Kowalski would-.”

Joanna’s eyes widened. This must be the famous Regulus Black. Sirius’ younger brother and the boy he desperately wanted to pull out of his parent’s brainwashing but lost more and more hope for with each passing day.

“I can’t go running about with half-bloods!” Regulus scoffed and Joanna winced.

Yep, the odds weren’t looking too great peeling Regulus out of the iron grasp of the pureblood mania.

Joanna decided this was likely the best and only chance she would have to peel herself out of her hiding spot and make her presence known before things could escalate, so she did just that.

“Why?” Joanna asked and as she rounded the corner to walk up to Sirius’ side she watched the blood drain from Regulus’ face while Sirius’ face slid into the perfect Cheshire Cat smile. “Afraid I’m going to ruin your perfect reputation as a Black, are you?” She asked, tilting her head curiously at the boy.

Regulus struggled to regain his composure as he glared between her and Sirius, who was fighting a losing battle against his sniggers at Joanna’s words. “I-It’s not right to consort with muggles, mother says. They’re like apes. They’re nothing.”

Joanna winced against the shot at her father and took a deep breath. “Your Mum says that, but what do you say?” She wondered.

Regulus furrowed his brows as if he had never been asked that despite Joanna being certain Sirius had pleaded with his brother to answer that question all his life.

Regulus took a deep breath and straightened, squaring his shoulders like the perfect image of a pureblood heir despite Sirius holding that title for himself. 

“I say whatever my mother says,” Regulus responded eloquently. “Half-bloods are crimes against nature and Sirius is going to get what’s coming to him for spending time with them.” 

With that, he marched past them and neither Sirius nor Joanna tried to stop him as he marched back to the woods on the path to Black Manor.

Once Regulus disappeared from sight, Sirius let out a deep sigh and released the tension in his body Joanna hadn’t even noticed until it was gone. “You-You didn’t need to step in,” Sirius told her, narrowing his eyes at Joanna. “I had it handled.”

“I know you did,” Joanna nodded. “But I didn’t want to keep being so creepy listening in and I figured by the time he left you’d need a friend,” she offered, holding out her arms for a hug. “It can’t be easy seeing that.”

Sirius smiled and glanced at her open arms with slight unease as though she might use the hug to try and hurt him.

Joanna rolled her eyes. “Ignore that stupid boy thing to avoid anything slightly emotional and accept the hug, dummy. My hugs don’t come as often as you think.”

Sirius chuckled and marched up to hug her tightly. As Joanna wrapped her arms around him, Sirius let out a shaky breath and she felt him relax completely in her arms. She wondered aimlessly when the last time he had received a hug outside of her mother had been, but finding the thought depressed her too much to even dare attempt to voice it, she just hugged him tightly and waited for him to pull away.

When Sirius eventually pulled away a few minutes later she grinned at him. “Now, come on,” Joanna said, looping her arm through his and pulling him around to the side of the house. “Mum is gonna be wondering where we’re at and I have no doubt she’s going to spend ages looking for the best potted plant to get my brother for his new flat.”

Sirius barked out a laugh and together they headed inside.

“Oh, there you are,” Queenie huffed. “I was about to march out there myself and search for you two. Come on,” she said, breaking them apart and ushering her daughter to the fireplace. “Do I need to remind you how to Floo, sweetheart?”

“No, I think I remember,” Joanna nodded, furrowing her brows as she stepped inside the fireplace.

She grabbed a handful of Floo powder and cried, “Diagon Alley!” With a blast of green flames, she disappeared from the fireplace and reappeared in Ollivander’s, her clothes and face dirtied by soot.

“Oh, hello, dearie!” Ollivander, an old man with seriously graying hair and a bright smile, cried. He hurried over to her side and helped her out of the fireplace as she coughed and wiped the dirt out of her eyes.

“Thank you, sir,” Joanna sighed. 

“Meeting family I’m guessing?” Ollivander assumed with a raised brow. 

“Yeah,” Joanna mumbled. “Though I think I may have overshot a few stores,” she giggled as she glanced around. “Ollivander’s, right?”

“The one and only,” Ollivander chuckled.

“Right, well I’m sorry to disturb you, sir,” Joanna sighed, brushing a bit of soot off her trousers. “I imagine the shop is quite empty now that classes have started.”

“That it is, my dear, though it’s no disturbance at all,” Ollivander hummed. “After all one day a wand in here will end up choosing you,” he smiled. “You are going to Hogwarts soon are you not?”

“Two years,” Joanna beamed. “My uncle says I’m bound for Hufflepuff.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ollivander smirked. “I personally see Ravenclaw myself.”

“Is that just because you were in Ravenclaw, sir?” Joanna implored with a grin. “Because I’ve been starting to realize that people seem to assume I’ll be in the houses they were in rather than a house I might actually be good in.”

“Perhaps,” Ollivander chuckled. “Though with a mind like that at nine-years-old, I can certainly see it as a possibility,” he remarked, walking her to the front of the store.

“Well, two of my brothers are in Ravenclaw,” Joanna shrugged, following closely behind him.

“Ah, you see?” Ollivander implored with a raised brow. “It’s already becoming a familial house.”

“I dunno,” Joanna frowned. “My brothers Jacob and Quentin were Hufflepuff and Slytherin.”

“Why then it is up to you to break the majority,” Ollivander hummed, beaming down at her. 

Joanna chuckled and shook her head. “I dunno,” she muttered. “We’ll see. But thank you for guiding me out of here, sir. I look forward to meeting you properly in two years.”

“I will see you then, my dear,” Ollivander nodded. With a smile, she began heading out of the store. “Good luck!” He called out to her.

“Thank you!” Joanna cried, waving up a hand to say goodbye as she left the shop with a ring of the bell on the door.

She was in the middle of the street for about two seconds before she heard a woman cry out and strong arms wrap around you. “Where the bloody hell were you?!” Queenie exclaimed. “Sirius and I popped out of the Floo and you were nowhere to be found, what happened?!” Queenie cried. She placed her hands on Joanna’s arms and shook her like a rag doll.

“Mum, mum,  _ mum _ !” Joanna shouted, placing her hand on her mother’s shoulder to get the woman to stop shaking her. “I just landed in Ollivander’s and we had a nice little chat. There’s no need to call the Aurors.”

Queenie released something between a sob and a sigh of relief as she hugged Joanna back to her chest. “Never disappear like that again!” She snapped. “I almost did call the Aurors thinking you had got lost in some strange Floo with no way out.”

Joanna smiled and hugged her mother. “It’s okay, Mum. I just shot a couple of shops too far. It’s no worry,” she assured her. 

Queenie let out a shaky breath in Joanna’s arms before calming down. She straightened and quickly tidied her hair before sighing deeply and smiling at the children. “Right then, what did you and Mr. Ollivander talk about?” She implored. She held out her right hand for Joanna to take and Sirius ran up to Joanna’s free side while Matthew sat in his mother’s arms on her left side. 

“Oh, he thought I could make the grade for a Ravenclaw when I go to Hogwarts,” she shrugged. Meanwhile, on her right side, Sirius stiffened.

“You can’t be a Ravenclaw!” Sirius snapped.

Joanna’s face fell. “Why not?” She asked as she furrowed her brows. “You seemed perfectly fine with the potential of me being a Hufflepuff every time I told you about Uncle Newt mentioning it.”

“Yeah, but I might be able to get into Hufflepuff,” Sirius huffed. “It’ll be difficult but there’s no way I can get into Ravenclaw. I’m not even a bit like any of the Ravenclaws in history.”

Joanna frowned at him. “Sirius, we’re going to be friends no matter what houses we’re in,” she assured him. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Slytherin and I’m a Gryffindor or I’m a Ravenclaw and you’re a Hufflepuff, we’ll stick together.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t you want to be around me all the time?” Sirius smirked, flipping his hair like he was a model.

Joanna laughed and shook her head. “No, I can hardly stand to be around you, you disgust me get away,” she said sarcastically, beaming as she looped her arm through his and pulled him closer.

“Face it, Kowalski,” Sirius sighed. “I’m just too wonderful to pass up.”

“Or maybe I’m the wonderful one and you’ve let yourself believe I’m the one who can’t stay away because you’re too great?” Joanna proposed with a raised brow and Sirius snorted.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Sirius hummed.

Queenie chuckled and shook her head at the children. “Kids, I’m going to be in Potage’s Cauldron Shop and I know it’s going to be boring so you can stay outside but do not leave the front of this shop,” she instructed. “If I come back and neither of you is here I really will send the Aurors after you,” she warned.

“If it’s going to be boring can we at least watch over Matthew?” Joanna wondered. “He’s the only brother who hasn’t physically injured me through pranks so I’ve gotta look out for him and get him favoring me.”

Queenie chuckled and shook her head. “Fair enough,” she nodded.

Matthew made grabby hands for Joanna as he was being passed over to his sister, desperate to get into her arms. Clearly, he favored her as much as she favored him. 

Queenie smiled as Matthew quickly curled up in his sister’s arms and she swung him around in a happy daze. “I’m only going to be a few minutes,” she assured the children. “I’ve got to find a cauldron that won’t burst on Quentin like all the ones he owned at Hogwarts,” she huffed. 

She headed inside with a ring of the bell on the door and Joanna, Sirius and Matthew were left outside the shop to watch all the people bustling past each other as they shopped.

“Once she gets the cauldron how many chances do you think we’ll have to mess with it before it gets to your brother?” Sirius wondered and Joanna snorted.

“I was thinking we put a sparkler in it but I didn’t know if it would explode so it might be too risky,” Joanna winced.

“We need trial runs,” Sirius hummed. “Maybe we can put some sparklers in one of your mum’s cooking pots and see how that works out.”

“No, no, no, she’ll have my head if the pot explodes,” Joanna sighed, leaning back against the shop window behind her. “We can use one of dad’s pots for baking, those are all insured by the bank so he won’t really be upset if it does explode,” she shrugged. “And if we risk getting in loads of trouble we can always tell them Matthew did some accidental magic,” she said. As she mentioned Matthew, she turned to her baby brother in her arms and poked his cheek making him giggle and flap his arms about.

“Explodeded!” Matthew cried.

“Yes,” Joanna giggled. “Explo-,” her face fell. “Oh, no,” she mumbled.

Sirius stared at her and Matthew with wide, unblinking eyes. “Isn’t that usually what he says before-?”

His question was answered when Matthew’s nappy grew with a soft farting sound and a sickly brown color pressed against the back of the nappy.

Joanna felt her soul leave her body as she stared off into the distance and tried to erase the feeling of the poop pressing against her arm where she was holding her brother. 

“Oh, I think I’m gonna be sick” Joanna groaned. “Hold him!” She cried before unceremoniously shoving her brother into Sirius’ arms.

Sirius held the boy under his arms as the boy giggled over what he was doing to his sister as she puked against the side of the cauldron shop. 

Unbeknownst to them, across the way, another boy with sandy brown hair, numerous scars, and an extremely thin frame was watching in absolute concern.

It took mere moments as the boy navigated his way through the bustling wizards and witches of Diagon Alley to get to her and hold her hair back as she puked.

“Er, who the hell do you think you-?!” Sirius began.

Before he could finish, Joanna stopped vomiting and turned to the boy with nothing but kindness in her eyes while he checked her temperature and pulled out a small hanky to wipe some of the vomit off her face.

“Are you okay?” The boy implored, tossing the hanky aside when he got all the vomit off.

“Yeah, thanks,” Joanna smiled. “What’s your name?” She asked. “I’m Joanna, that’s Sirius and the boy laughing at my vomit is my baby brother Matthew.”

The boy’s eyes flickered amongst them with furrowed brows. He hadn’t meant to get involved. His father had more and more strict about him talking to other witches and wizards the older he got but he didn’t want to just stand back and watch the poor girl puke her guts out without at least offering some help. He sighed deeply and hung his head. Once his father saw him he’d be getting a lecture at home but if he didn’t answer them they’d know something was more off about him than his scars.

“I-I’m Remus Lupin.”

“Good to meet you, Remus!” Joanna exclaimed. “Say, I know this sounds strange but do you happen to know where we can get a nappy changing station?”

“Kowalski, we haven’t got a nappy!” Sirius exclaimed.

“They’ve got to keep them stored up here,” Joanna insisted. “My mum once got nappies here when Matthew wouldn’t stop pooping.”

“Yes, for money!” Sirius hissed.

Joanna sighed. “Then we ask the shopkeeper for one and get Mum to pay later. I doubt she’ll be upset that we changed my brother’s nappy when he’s starting to look uncomfortable in the poop,” she shrugged as she gestured to her brother and his face was beginning to twist strangely as he squirmed.

Sirius took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his long curly dark hair. “Fine,” he nodded. “Remus, do you know where we can find a changing station?”

Remus looked thoroughly astounded by all eyes, even the baby’s, on him, but fought to recover with a soft sigh. “I, er, I did hear some women with children thanking Merlin for one here. I didn’t hear where it was but I think I saw where the area they were coming from. I can point you to it.”

“No, just take us there,” Joanna shrugged. “He’s terrible with directions unless he’s on a broom anyway and I have the attention span of a gnat,” she smirked.

Sirius snorted. “I’d like to argue but she’s completely right.”

Remus furrowed his brows. “Right, well,” he glanced back at the shop his father was still inside, “my dad told me to wait and I-.”

“It’s alright, mate,” Sirius chuckled. He passed Matthew back to Joanna and she accepted him with a wince. Then, he clapped a hand on Remus’ shoulder and beamed at him. “Her mum told us to wait out here as well but we’re going because I’m certain if poor Joanna has to hold her brother much longer she’s going to vomit again.”

“You didn’t even hold him around the nappy!” Joanna snapped. “This should be a form of torture it’s so gross!”

Matthew was squirming relentlessly now trying to get away from his own poop but all he succeeded in doing was spreading the poop around the nappy more.

“Oh, stop it, please, you’re only making matters worse for yourself and despite you pooping while I was holding you you’re still my favorite family member so leave it be,” Joanna instructed, placing her hand on his chest and glaring at him.

Matthew froze and just as Joanna started to think she had won, he began crying. 

“Oh, honestly!” Joanna cried.

Sirius laughed. “I’ll go ask round for the nappy,” he told her, patting Matthew quickly on the head before running away.

Meanwhile, Remus was left awkwardly shuffling beside Joanna with his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on his feet.

“So, Remus,” Joanna sighed. “How old are you?” 

Remus furrowed his brows momentarily before answering. “I’m nine.”

“Oh, so you’re going to be in Hogwarts the same year as Sirius and I!” Joanna exclaimed with a smile. “That’s lovely. What house are you hoping for?”

“I dunno,” Remus shrugged. “I don’t think they’ll allow me into Hogwarts.”

“Why wouldn’t they allow you?” Joanna wondered with a frown. “You seem perfectly fine to me,” she hummed. “You’re not going to tell me you’re an escaped convict or anything, are you?” She giggled.

Remus smiled briefly and shook his head. “It’s sort of a long story, but my dad says they might not want to take the risk of having me around. I’m not always as normal as you.”

Joanna snorted. “You think I’m normal you have another thing coming,” she chuckled. “But you seem normal and if you’re a good wizard my uncle says the Headmaster Dumbledore will do anything to make sure his children can stay in the school. A lot has happened while Dumbledore was at the school and not all of it was good but he makes sure everybody has the right to be there like the founders did.”

“The founders said that?” Remus frowned.

“Oh, yeah,” Joanna nodded. “Well, there’s the story that Salazar Slytherin didn’t want to allow muggle-borns or half-bloods into his school but I don’t think that’s the whole story. If he was so terrible I doubt the other founders would’ve allowed his house to remain.”

“But I-I’m a half-blood,” Remus murmured.

“You are?” Joanna gasped. Remus winced but nodded. “Oh, that’s brilliant!” Joanna exclaimed. “I’m a half-blood too. My dad’s a muggle and my mum’s a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out,” she giggled.

Remus flashed nothing more than the ghost of a smile. “My, er, my dad’s a wizard and my mum was a muggle.”

“Oh, that makes sense, but does that mean you’ve been going to a muggle primary school?” She wondered.

Remus simply nodded.

“That explains why you didn’t know about the founders,” Joanna noticed. “I wouldn’t either if it weren’t for my uncle and aunt. They both insist we all know wizarding history along with our muggle studies at school. I don’t know much but I know; the founders of Hogwarts and their stories, the rules and how to play Quidditch, the basic currency, and just a few jobs available after Hogwarts. Not a lot if I’m honest. Oh! And I also know a lot about magical creatures. My uncle is Newt Scamander, you see, the bloke who studies and defends magical creatures. You likely wouldn’t know because of your muggle studies but I’ll eat my hat if we don’t study something from him in Hogwarts. Well, not my hat but somebody else’s hat. No, not somebody else’s hat that’d give them quite a fright. I’ll get a hat!” She exclaimed with a bright smile.

Remus stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes as he tried to process everything she was rambling. This girl was just a ball of energy and he wasn’t sure if he was able to process all of it but she did manage to put the odd smile on his face and that had to count for something, didn’t it?

Even her baby brother seemed mesmerized by her voice as he had stopped crying and was instead listening to her with teary eyes and a curious expression on his face as though he were ready to absorb everything Joanna could ramble about. Remus strangely understood the feeling.

However, before she could continue speaking, Sirius reappeared waving a nappy in the air like it was a victory flag.

“So, I tracked down this mum and gave her my best doe eyes. Y’know the ones that never work on my rubbish family,” Sirius shrugged and Joanna nodded fervently. 

“Or my mum,” Joanna added and Sirius rolled his eyes.

“They don’t work on her because she reads my mind and knows I’m talking rubbish,” Sirius sighed.

“Hold on, your mum can read your mind?” Remus frowned.

“Yeah, she’s a Legilimens,” Joanna shrugged. “They can look into your thoughts and sort of watch your memories or in my mum’s case some of your future dreams if they’re extremely skilled and occasionally you can feel them rifling around but very rarely. You have to be skilled in Occulmency to properly handle it.”

“And are you?” Remus implored.

“Not in the slightest,” Joanna giggled. “But mum never steps too far with anyone. She just figures out what she wants to know and goes on her merry way. Besides, she’s forbidden from doing it when dad’s around so it’s only when we’re home alone with her.”

“Yeah, it’s not really a bother,” Sirius shrugged. “I mean it felt odd having this woman I don’t know rifling around in my mind after my seventh birthday but Kowalski’s right she doesn’t step too far and you’ll get used to it.”

“Okay,” Remus frowned, uncertain of how he could possibly get used to someone peering around inside his mind but willing to let the matter lie so Sirius could continue his story.

“Anyway,” Sirius sighed. “She felt really bad and gave me a spare nappy she had and when I asked her if I could pay for it she brushed me off and insisted it was no matter so we got a nappy free of charge,” he shrugged, waving the nappy half-heartedly.

Joanna snorted. “Well, that solves that problem,” she nodded. “Now, my dear Remus lead the troops,” she commanded, saluting him while Sirius laughed.

Remus’ cheeks pinkened but did as she instructed and guided them to a changing station.

Joanna pulled out the table and rested her brother on it as he began squirming and complaining once again. “Oh, stop it,” Joanna grumbled. “You’re just as much of a drama queen as I was and there’s only room for one of us in this family.”

Sirius snickered. “ _ ‘Was’ _ ?” He prompted.

“Sirius, don’t speak or I’ll make you eat the bag nappy,” Joanna warned.

“Do you know how to do this?’ Remus implored, feeling each of his nerves stand on edge as he watched her half-heartedly toss the nappy into the rubbish bin.

“Not a clue but I’ve seen my mother do it plenty of times and that’s got to count for something,” Joanna shrugged.

“She means she knows it well enough to keep the nappy on him,” Sirius explained.

“But what if it hurts him because it’s put on the wrong way?” Remus wondered.

“I’m doing this so my brother doesn’t have to deal with any more pain,” Joanna sighed. “I care about him more than any of my brothers and I know how to do this well enough to stop the pain. Any other problems my bloody mum can fix.”

“Mate, at least she’s making the effort,” Sirius sighed. “Do you want to try?”

“I-I mean I could, I-,” Remus stammered.

“Too late!” Joanna proclaimed, spinning around and holding a giggling Matthew up. “What do you think?” She smirked, showing off her nappy work.

“Beautiful job, ma’am!” Sirius exclaimed, granting her a round of applause which Remus hesitantly joined. “Ten out of ten stars!”

“Thank you, thank you!” Joanna cried, bowing humbly while they applauded her.

Sirius smirked and shook his head as he marched up to her side and draped an arm over her shoulders. “Now let’s go find your mum before she phones the Minister to weep of our disappearance.”

“It would be quite sad if she lost all three of us in one day you have to admit,” Joanna remarked.

Sirius beamed at her. “The stars in the sky would stop shining if all four of us were gone.”

“Me?” Remus frowned. “You hardly know me.”

“And yet you’re one of us, mate,” Sirius smirked, draping his arm of Remus’ shoulders. “He’s your age, right?” He implored, raising a brow at Joanna. 

Joanna nodded.

“Brilliant!” Sirius exclaimed. “Next summer you can come over visiting Joanna and me,” he suggested. “I’d offer up my home but it’s-.”

“Horrid,” Joanna said frankly and Sirius nodded.

“Basically,” Sirius sighed. “Oi, maybe your mum can give his dad all the details.”

“That is if she doesn’t kill us for going missing,” Joanna reminded him.

“Oh, she wouldn’t dare she loves us too much,” Sirius hummed.

Joanna giggled. “Fair enough, I’ll ask her. Tell your dad to wait up, yeah?” She prompted Remus.

“No, I-I can’t spend the summer with you lot,” Remus furiously shook his head. “I’m ill I have to go home so my father can-.”

“You look fine to me, mate,” Sirius remarked, giving him a once-over. 

“No,” Remus frowned. “But the-the scars,” he muttered waving his hand over the scars on his face.

“I’ve got scars too,” Sirius shrugged. “It’s a side effect of having my family. They’re not a problem for us.”

Joanna smacked his side, staring at Remus with wide eyes. “Sirius!” She hissed.

“What?” 

“Shut up!” She exclaimed. “Remus, are your scars infected or diseased or something?”

“Yeah, in a manner of speaking,” Remus shrugged, still hanging his head and shuffling his feet as they walked.

“Well, you can go back home as often as you’d like but we would like it if we could spend as much of the summer with you as possible. Sirius, Matthew and I are pretty much all there is. My brothers are twats so we don’t talk to them,” Joanna shrugged.

Remus smiled softly as his blue eyes flicked between Sirius, Joanna, and Matthew. “You really mean it?” He breathed, unable to quite believe anyone would be so persistent in becoming his friend.

“We do,” Joanna assured him with a smile and adamant nod. “If your father agrees and you can work something out we’d love to get to know you over the summer.”

Remus grinned wider than he ever had since the incident. “That’s-That’s brilliant,” he whispered, untrusting of his voice. “I’m sure he’ll try to work something out for me.”


	4. Following the Trail

**June 17, 1993**

Sirius and Remus stood outside the cottage that had fallen into disrepair with time and Remus couldn't help the chill that swept through him. So many breaks spent running around that yard with his friends and now it looked as sad as its owner.

“Sirius, are you sure this is a good idea?” Remus murmured. “She’s a fragile woman and I’m sure asking her about the daughter she attended a funeral for isn’t quite a good idea.”

Sirius chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. “If I can say anything about Queenie Kowalski it’s that she soldiers on just as her daughter did. She’ll be fine and if it’s too much we can always leave and head to Jo’s old home.”

“I suppose,” Remus shrugged. “It just seems a bit risky. Surely she’s seen the Prophet and knows you’re an escaped convict.”

“She’s a Legilimens, Moony,” Sirius moaned. “She’ll know I’m innocent. Now stop your fretting, you’ll get worry lines,” he remarked as he pressed the doorbell and Remus bit back a sarcastic response.

The door flung open mere seconds after Sirius rang the doorbell and a frantic Queenie appeared in the doorway. Her hair was a wreck, far from her usual tidy bob she had it up in and age had set in graying it quite a bit. Sirius furrowed his brows as he realized she had to be getting into her nineties by now. 

The woman who normally took so much care into her appearance and chose the smartest clothing with a running color scheme in her wardrobe now simply donned a robe and some nightclothes that seemed crumpled and worn down.

Her face fell as she spotted the pair of them. “Oh,” she deflated. “I thought-,” she froze as she spotted Sirius smiling thinly at her. “You-You,” she raised a finger to wag at him furiously but frowned as she ran through his mind. “You’re innocent,” she mumbled.

“As the day I was born,” Sirius beamed.

Queenie groaned and held the door open for the two grown men. “You two used to invite yourselves in every chance you got as children, why should now be any different?”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Remus sighed, hating himself as he stepped into the threshold of the broken woman.

“Don’t mention it,” Queenie mumbled. “I can’t tell you anything about Jo I haven’t already told the Aurors,” she sighed. “You might as well ask them.”

“See, that’s a bit difficult,” Sirius winced.

“Oh, right,” Queenie muttered. “Well, I’ll get you some coffee. Feel free to make yourselves at home you never held back in your youth,” she hummed, sending them a thin smile as she headed to the kitchen.

Remus glanced around the sitting room with narrowed eyes. Nothing had changed since he had come there on breaks as a child except the furniture had grown a bit worn down with time. It was almost as if Queenie clung to the clearly less than admirable furniture to keep something of the happy past they had left around. He could almost picture the little twelve-year-olds they had once been running circles around the room before heading out to play Quidditch. He sighed deeply as he sat back in the tattered old sofa and eyed a few of the moving pictures hung on the walls.

None of the photos had Queenie in them. All were of her husband Jacob who had recently died of old age, and all her children who died in the war. Remus’ heart clenched at the thought of this woman who once thrived off the life around her and the happy energy, now reduced to an elderly witch in a cottage in England alone.

Sirius noticed him eyeing the pictures with a clenched jaw and placed a soft hand on his shoulder. “Think of it like this, if this works we may be able to offer her some closure. She needs as much.”

“Her youngest brother was fifteen, Pads. _Fifteen_ ,” Remus hissed. “He was murdered _at_ Hogwarts. If Jo really is gone I think it might break her.”

Sirius turned his eyes back to where Queenie had disappeared into the kitchen though Remus couldn’t tell if it was because the Animagus was thinking of Queenie or if he was ensuring she didn’t return while he spoke. “I didn’t plan on telling her we might find Jo alive. It sounds cruel but I didn’t think the false hope would do her any favors. I just wanted to tell her we were searching for a body.”

Remus watched him for a moment before sighing softly and running his fingers through his sandy hair. “Do you think a body will really help her?”

Sirius glimpsed back at him momentarily. “It’s better than going to the cemetery to cry over a casket you know is empty, isn’t it?”

“I honestly don’t know anymore,” Remus mumbled, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

Just then, Queenie hurried back into the room and placed two coffee cups before the men. “I believe I remember how you took them when you were teenagers. I do hope it hasn’t changed,” she chuckled softly. “I am sorry it took so long I’m a bit out of practice,” she confessed. “I haven’t had guests for quite some time.”

Sirius and Remus shared a look that spoke a thousand words. 

“Look, Mrs. Kowalski,” Sirius began.

Queenie’s eyes widened, continuously moving side to side as though she were reading books inside their minds. “You think she might be alive?” She breathed.

Remus’ face dropped and Sirius grew even paler if that were at all possible considering he was a ghostly white from his stay in Azkaban.

“Oh, I understand you not wanting to tell me but quite frankly I would have been more willing to help if you had been forthcoming from the start rather than that little lie about wanting to find her body.”

“It wasn’t completely a lie, ma’am,” Remus rushed to tell her. “We’re not certain if she could be alive and we are very much prepared for the possibility of finding her body rather than her alive.”

“Yes, but still,” Queenie sighed. She fell back into the armchair Jacob Kowalski had so often inhabited. “I’d be more willing to help you if there’s a chance you can bring my daughter back alive I’ll do what it takes.”

Sirius glanced to Remus as if he was looking for some sort of sign that he should continue. Remus furrowed his brows and aimlessly shook his head. He couldn’t see any reason why they should stop just because Queenie had looked into their minds and if it did become too much for her they could always stop and head back to Jo’s old house instead.

Sirius took a deep breath and leaned towards Queenie. “Ma’am, we need to know what happened the night everyone says Jo died. The same night as James and Lily.”

“Well, I had thought it was you, but your mind tells a different story,” Queenie hummed. “It was that Pettigrew man, there was always something off about him but I couldn’t put my finger on it,” she mumbled. “Nevertheless, they said you kidnapped her. That was the only logical explanation apparently. They searched all your holdings. Everywhere you might take her and nothing. Then they thought she might have escaped and died somewhere alone without help. The thought that my girl would die helpless alone in the woods,” she scoffed. “They really just see me and assume all my children aren’t bright, don’t they?”

Sirius clenched his jaw. “Jo was the brightest witch I knew. I never confessed it to Lily because James would’ve had a fit-.”

“But dear Lily had all the book smarts. She knew every spell you could dream of and while that’s great, my little girl had all the street smarts you could hope for. She knew how to get out of a fight without a wand. That, more than anything, is why I doubted she would’ve let herself be kidnapped by you. Even if what they were saying about you betraying the Potters was true, you couldn’t have Joanna in your grasp. She would beat every one of you boys in a fist fight a hundred times over,” Queenie smirked.

“So, do you know where she really was?” Remus wondered.

“I can only grant you pieces but hopefully they’re enough. They weren’t for the damn ministers but they might be enough for two of her closest friends,” Queenie hummed. “If you haven’t been there yet, Jo’s house is in a sorry state. The door was blasted in by Death Eaters and judging by the way everything is turned over it looks like there was some sort of fight. She got out through the back and somewhere along the way floo’d to our vacation home in Paris. I can give you address but she wasn’t there for very long. After that, her track virtually vanished. There were scraps in the homes of different cities she might have traveled to but the city Ministry’s couldn’t find anyone by her name or image in their cities. The pair of you knew her better than anyone, maybe you can piece together what I and the Aurors never could,” she sighed.

Sirius furrowed his brows as he thought and Remus could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he went through his conversations with Joanna and the path she most likely took. Eventually, he nodded to Queenie and stood up. “Thank you, ma’am, if you could write down that address for us it would help. We’ll also be stopping by her house to see what we can find.”

Remus’ eyes widened. “Pads, are you sure, we-?”

Sirius’ head whipped around and he gave the famous glare only a Black could give. “I need to see it, Moony.” And that was the end of the conversation.

Queenie took a deep breath and nodded, rising to her feet and finding a scrap of paper so she could scribble down the address. She held it out for Sirius to take but before he could grab it she pulled away and glanced into his grey eyes, all her ninety years weighing down on her. 

“I always suspected you were innocent, you know. I watched you grow up from when you were just seven-years-old. I know the heart in you, but when they refused to give you a trial and Joanna went missing my priorities were lost and before I knew it you were locked into your sentence,” Queenie sighed.

Remus heard Sirius let out a shaky breath and turned to see his closest friend squeezing his eyes shut and hanging his head. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through his mind. Up until this moment Sirius had to hear that everyone assumed he would betray James and Lily or even kidnap Joanna, even Remus himself had allowed himself to believe it, and Queenie was the first person who accepted how impossible it was. 

Sirius let out a strangled sound and Queenie’s eyes grew wide. She quickly dropped the paper and pulled Sirius into a bone-crushing hug. Sirius wasted no time returning it, allowing himself to break in her arms.

Remus smiled softly and picked up the paper Queenie had dropped before stepping out into the kitchen to give them a moment alone. He heard choked sobs and leaned against the wall, sighing softly. 

Before Joanna and Sirius had ever met the rest of the Marauders at Hogwarts they had been friends. Joanna had often told Remus how her mother had seemed to adopt Sirius the day she met him. One day inviting him over to learn Quidditch had turned into a week’s stay after her mother learned he’d had a rubbish seventh birthday. She cared for him and nurtured him like he was just another one of her children. 

The Kowalskis and the Potters had often been the two houses the Marauders jumped back and forth between because those houses were where their only parental figures laid. Sirius had grown to be more comfortable living with the Potters the older he got, but nothing could ever erase the fact that his childhood laid with the Kowalskis and everyone knew that, especially Queenie. In fact, aside from the marauders Remus wouldn’t hesitate to say the Kowalskis were the main reason Sirius managed to have a childhood amidst the abuse. 

Remus used his werewolf ears to try and listen into Sirius and Queenie’s embrace to ensure if he walked out at that moment he wouldn’t intrude. 

The tears seemed to have stopped and with a small smile, he stepped back out to find Sirius glanced around with a frown looking for the Paris address.

“Got it right here,” Remus announced, flashing the paper in his fingers.

Sirius smirked at him. “Right then, I suppose we’re off,” he sighed as he turned to Queenie.

Queenie smiled sadly at him and pulled him in for one more hug. “I am so sorry for what they’ve done to you, but bring her back to me Sirius Black. Living or dead, I need to see her again.”

“I’ll try my best, ma’am,” Sirius promised.

Queenie grinned and shook her head. “Your best will bring her back to me. I’m more than sure of it.”

Sirius and Remus shared a smile. 

“It was good seeing you again, Queenie. We’ll be back one way or another,” Remus assured the woman.

“Well, I very much look forward to it,” Queenie beamed.

She gave the two men final hugs before they each said their goodbyes and headed out to find what was left of Joanna’s home. 

* * *

“Shit,” Sirius murmured. The house was standing better than the Potters’ home but the signs of a fight were clear. The door had still been left on the ground, burnt and split in half. 

Luckily the Ministry had placed a towering gate before the house so only those granted a key could enter and Remus just so happened to be one of those people. 

Inside the house, Queenie couldn’t have been more accurate when she said it was clear a fight had taken place. Across the walls several slashes had been made through the wallpaper, cutting hexes likely flung at Joanna in the fight. In the sitting room, a chair was turned over and the cushions on her sofa were across the floor. Moving past the sitting room a large bookshelf was knocked over and the books were still scattered across the floor. 

Sirius could almost picture the fight taking place as he walked through the house. Joanna dodging every curse they tried to fling at her like the pro he knew she was, tearing down the bookshelf as a blockade while her mind scanned the area for a way out. 

He froze as he stepped over the thin bookshelf and found drops of blood dried and leaving a trail where she ran. She had been hit and she had to know it would make her easier to track. 

Sirius couldn’t hear Remus’ footsteps behind him and he knew the werewolf was giving him time to take in the damage for himself. Remus had certainly been there at least a dozen times trying desperately to understand things because if Sirius were him that’s exactly what he would have done. 

Sirius followed the trail of blood as it grew from small drops to dried puddles of blood. The kitchen counter ended right beside the backdoor and he spotted a few dropped items from the counter meaning she plucked something up from the counter in a hurry. Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and implored his memory to scrape through her house and the memories of where she meticulously kept everything. 

Backdoor. Backdoor. Backdoor.

Spare set of keys just in case of emergency, a muggle travel magazine to read outside (laying on the floor from where she’d dropped it), sunglasses (also laying on the ground and broken), and hair ties! 

The only thing missing was her hair ties. Oh, that genius girl knew she’d have to run for her life. 

He smirked as he opened the backdoor carefully and continued to follow the blood trail. There were a couple of shoe prints in the blood but he knew the second he saw them that they weren’t hers. She hated wizard shoes because they never had her size and they were always too plain. Wizard shoes didn’t have the intricate markings on the bottom that muggle shoes did. Any empty shoe prints weren't hers, anything with intricate markings were her boots running through the blood.

The trail ended once he left the shelter of her house and he knew the rain had likely washed all her blood away. He clenched his jaw and called forth every memory of Joanna he could, every little way she would have moved in this condition and willed himself to know her movements better than every bloody Auror that had likely crossed through these woods before him.

He closed his eyes and remembered when she guided him to these very woods after buying the house.

_“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were obsessed with living by the woods,” he laughed._

_“You may jest Sirius Black but this is actually the best place I could possibly live in times like these. What are you going to do in a tiny little flat if you get attacked?” Joanna wondered, raising a brow at him._

_Sirius rolled his eyes. “You can’t just think of the possibility of attack when buying a place, love.”_

_“I’m not,” she assured him. “I’m also thinking of how nice it would be to run out here and hide in the woods while you bloody monsters get into all my baked goods.”_

_Sirius barked out a laugh. “That’s the Jo I know,” he hummed._

_“Plus, these woods are brilliant because the trees aren’t crammed up next to each other, they’re skinny so I can look around and see when you blasted idiots are coming. See, there’s a little path ahead of us and it leads to this clearing where I could sit down and have quiet for the first time in my life.”_

_Sirius snorted and shook his head at the neat little path. He draped his arm over Joanna’s shoulders. “You know you love us,” he hummed._

_Joanna beamed at him, her blue eyes glinting like a true Marauder. “Do I?” She implored, shrugging out of his grasp and leaving him alone on the back porch._

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the path she had pointed out to him a lifetime ago. Without a moment of hesitation, he started down the path. He followed it to the small clearing she told him about and gazed around. She had been right, the trees were just far enough apart that if she had run here she would be able to see the Death Eaters coming and think of a plan. 

He glanced around and clenched his jaw. Where did she go next? He narrowed his eyes, staring down everything that might offer a clue when he spotted a bloody handprint at the base of one of the trees.

He had never been so excited to see a bloody handprint before. He bolted over to it and narrowed his eyes at the print. It was firm so it should show all the lines on the hand, even the scar Joanna had shooting across her right palm from her pinky finger to her thumb.

He smirked when he spotted the famous scar Moony had given her when trying to help her treat Quidditch wounds on her hands just a little too close to the full moon. It was one of the purest injuries they had from Moony to date.

Sirius furrowed his brows as he spotted the positioning of the hand. For her hand to be gripping the tree that way she had to have been on her belly. He narrowed his eyes. One of those damn Death Eaters dragged her from this spot.

He followed the path until he came across an ‘X’ made by a collection of rocks and raised a brow. He knew well enough from Auror training they usually made an ‘X’ wherever a death had occurred, but it hadn’t been Joanna otherwise they’d have a body to bury her.

Sirius’ eyes widened. Joanna killed the Death Eater that had been dragging her. He was sure of it. His heart clenched at the very image of her shouting the killing curse at the individual. She had never murdered before and she always fought to stop herself from using it unless absolutely necessary. She hated the idea of adding more bodies on either side. Sirius took a deep breath and tried to wipe the image of the woman he had loved facing the fact that she had murdered from his mind.

He continued down the only path he could see and placed his hand over his eyes to block out the sun as he saw, in the distance, a wizarding town. Joanna must’ve seen this too and headed there to floo to France.

His heart raced as he bolted back through the woods to Joanna’s house. He felt like he was working with her to figure this path out rather than working to figure out what she might have thought thirteen years too late. 

She was a survivor and he had to will it in himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, against all odds she was out there somewhere.


	5. The Train to Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been AGES but a whole slew of familiar faces pop into this one.

**September 1st, 1971**

“Your parents are truly awful,” Joanna huffed, marching alongside Sirius and Remus through King’s Cross station. “I mean really, not even seeing you off on your first day?!” 

Remus could only offer an adamant nod in response. Sirius and Joanna had both waited for him as his father brought him to King’s Cross, said goodbye, wished him good luck and insisted that he write as soon as possible. Contrary to what Remus had said about his mysterious illness keeping him at bay, Albus Dumbledore himself had shown up at his home and offered up a solution to the young wizard and his father allowing Remus to not only go to Hogwarts with his friends but forge a somewhat normal life despite everything. He had owled them immediately and as soon as they got his letters they visited him and spent the next week celebrating at his family’s small flat. They only met up again in Diagon Alley to buy all they needed for school, then Sirius and Joanna swore to him they would wait for him at King’s Cross which they stuck by even after he had run a bit late.

Sirius, on the other hand, had been all but neglected by his family who chose to prepare Regulus for his start at Hogwarts next year rather than dote on Sirius. Sirius asked them for the money he would need for his school supplies and they gave him all he might need and waved him away, likely assuming (and preferring) that he would go to Diagon Alley alone and return later. However, Sirius marched straight over to Joanna’s house just as her mother and father were going through the school supply list one last time and making notes of any new items they would need to buy for her brothers. They quickly embraced him and allowed him to join them in the trip to Diagon Alley. Afterward, rather than head home, he spent the rest of the summer at their cottage. His parents didn’t even bother to send Regulus after him as they used to, they simply left him where he was despite him not telling them anything about where he was.

For all they knew he could have been kidnapped or murdered on Diagon Alley but still, they didn’t seem to care.

Regardless, Sirius couldn’t find it in himself to care what they thought when he wasn’t around them. He had people who cared about them and was being taken to Hogwarts by a family that would ask for owls about what house he had gotten into and take an actual interest. He supposed he owed his childhood to them.

“I suppose they’d pawn me off to you lot if it was up to them,” Sirius chortled and Joanna rolled her eyes.

“I’m not afraid of much so I assure you if Walburga Black was not one of those things I’m deathly afraid of I’d give her a piece of my mind!” She snapped, stamping her foot indignantly.

Sirius chuckled. “It’s fine, really.”

“No, it’s not!” Joanna shrieked. “Stop saying it’s fine all the time it’s not fine.”

“It really isn’t fine,” Remus agreed. “You should at least be able to go home for five minutes without being hollered at.”

“Alright then it’s absolutely wretched and I wake every moment burning in my own skin and wishing for the sweet release of death,” Sirius humored her.

“Sirius Orion Black you take that back right now!” Queenie hissed. “That’s a horrible thing to say!”

“He’s kidding, Mum,” Joanna groaned, rolling her eyes at her over-zealous mother. “In fact, I think he’s actually making fun of me.”

Sirius snorted. “Caught onto that one, did you?”

“Children,” Newt Scamander sighed. “Stop for a moment and give me your full attention or at least allow Remus to listen to me because I’m certain if you two don’t listen he will.”

Remus snorted while Sirius and Joanna narrowed their eyes at Newt Scamander. 

Newt had often accompanied Queenie’s children during their first year at Hogwarts just as he accompanied his own children before they began leaving with their friends. It was solely because he was the only person who had gone to Hogwarts and had spent several years there before he had been expelled. He was the only one who could properly explain how to get onto the platform without any of the children assuming he was lying or trying to take the mickey. He had the most knowledge out of all of them about Hogwarts and could best prepare the children for what was coming when Jacob was a muggle and Queenie and Tina had both gone to Ilvermorny.

“If you don’t listen carefully you may mess this up,” Newt warned. “And I’d bet my savings you’d be the one to mess this up because you didn’t focus, Joanna Kowalski.”

“Oh, that’s not fair, Quentin nearly missed the train because he messed up so many times,” Joanna moaned. “Plus we haven’t even seen Matthew try.”

“Matthew is three still doing accidental magic, Jo,” Newt reminded her. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face before kneeling down before them and pointing to a wall between platform nine and platform ten. “Right, the three of you see that big wall between the platforms.”

Sirius inhaled sharply and let out a deep gasp. “There’s a wall?!” He cried and Joanna and Remus chuckled.

Newt ignored him. “Anyway, you need to run at that wall as fast as possible. It’s going to get cold and strange but keep running till you come out on the other side.”

Joanna thought for a moment with furrowed brows. “If I fall flat on my face you lot have to make sure I’m okay first then I give you full permission to laugh.”

“Do you want us to catch you?” Remus wondered.

“No let me be able to tell the story of the bruises,” Joanna instructed and Remus snorted.

“You’re not going to fall on your face if you do as I instructed,” Newt assured her.

“Exactly why I’m worried,” Joanna nodded confidently and Sirius barked out a laugh.

Newt just rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to focus on Joanna while Remus and Sirius marched up to the wall together. “Look, Joanna, I know your parents already got you an owl.”

Joanna beamed at him. “He’s called Dionysus,” she introduced. The barn owl in her cage proudly flapped his wings as if to say  _ yep, that’s me! _

Newt chuckled softly. “He’s lovely, but I figure if you’d ever like a less conventional companion,” he muttered as he pulled a small creature out of his coat pocket. The creature looked like a small leaf plant with two leaves appearing like hair on its head and two very small brown eyes where its face should be.

Joanna’s eyes went as wide as saucers. “You’d give me your bowtruckle?!” She exclaimed, her blue eyes growing glassy as she stared at the small creature who popped up happily at the sight of her.

She knew how attached Newt was to his creatures and how fiercely protective he was of them. He was also incredibly desperate to teach as many people as he could just how harmless many of his creatures were and that was why after she and her family moved to England Uncle Newt found time in his already busy schedule to show them all his creatures and teach them about each and every one.

It warmed her heart to think that Newt could see her as worthy enough to care for these creatures he protected with everything in him.

Newt smiled kindly at her. “Not exactly. I still have my little bowtruckle in here,” he said, rising to his feet and patting his trusty suitcase. “But I found that lovely little girl in west England where some of her habitat was being chopped down. I took her in and though she’s very reserved I think you could get her to be a bit more trusting,” he smirked.

“You’d trust me with this?” Joanna gasped.

“You have a good heart despite how reckless you can be at times,” Newt chuckled. “Which is exactly why I’m still holding out hope that you may be a Hufflepuff.”

Joanna giggled. “I’m not sure about that, but I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

She held out her hands and Newt held out his so the bowtruckle could easily cross between the pair of them. The bowtruckle was hesitant but with that hesitation came a hasty run into Joanna’s grasp as though one of them would hurt her if she wasn’t quick enough.

Joanna let out a pained laugh and placed the bowtruckle on her shoulder and turned back to Newt. “Does she have a name?”

“I’ve been calling her Juniper,” Newt said. “You’re welcome to change it, but be aware it may take her some time to adjust to a new name. She has been responding fairly well to Juniper.”

“It’s fine,” Joanna smiled, glancing at the bowtruckle on her shoulders swinging her legs as though she were on a ride. “I think Juniper is lovely.”

Newt beamed at her for a moment and seemed lost in thought until he jumped and remembered just what they were there for. “Right, I best be letting you get on that train,” he hummed. “Have a good year and be sure to write to me, let me know your House!” He called as he headed out of the station walking backward and waving to her. 

Joanna laughed and shook her head at the old man. “I will!” She cried. She took a deep breath and whirled around, marching back to Sirius and Remus who were staring at the wall with a small frown.

When Sirius noticed Joanna had arrived he rolled his eyes. “Bloody hell,” he moaned. “I’d have thought I was going to be too old for Hogwarts by the time you two stopped talking.”

Joanna snorted and shoved him playfully. “Shove off,”

“What did he want to talk about?” Remus wondered. “Any advice or anything?” 

 “He just wanted to release this beautiful little bowtruckle into my care,” she hummed, showing off the bowtruckle on her shoulder.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the bowtruckle and smiled briefly. “Cute. Now, can we go?!” He exclaimed, waving his arms wildly at the wall.

“Yes, yes, alright,” Joanna moaned. “His Majesty gets what His Majesty wants,” she mumbled. She held out her hand for the bowtruckle and Juniper slowly stepped down into her palm. Joanna placed her at the top of her luggage. “Hold on tight,” she whispered and the bowtruckle clung to what she could. 

“I’m not that bad,” Sirius mumbled.

Remus and Joanna shared a look and howled with laughter at the very idea.

“Oh,” Joanna sighed. “Try letting us touch your hair before I believe that statement.”

“Your Mum says my hair is delicate!” Sirius snapped. “It’s soft and as perfect as hair from the gods might be and it needs to be maintained as such.”

“Oh, Merlin, she’s already got you completely brainwashed,” Joanna sighed. “But never mind that, last one on the platform has to clean the other’s owl cage for a week!” She cried before bolting through the wall.

Remus’ eyes widened and he quickly rushed through the wall leaving Sirius alone on the platform mumbling a million curses at the pair.

“That’s not fair you had a head start!” Sirius yelled, darting through after them.

However, when Sirius arrived on the platform Joanna already had a carefully planned out dance to make fun of him while Remus laughed and clapped for her. “Hope you like the smell of owl poop because you’re going to be getting all of it!” She cried.

Sirius clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes. He marched over to Dionysus’ cage and bent down so he was face to face with the owl. “Looks like you and I are going to be getting very familiar this next week.”

Dionysus squawked indignantly and Sirius snorted. “You and me both, mate.”

“Don’t forget mine,” Remus smirked, holding up his owl in its cage with a great deal of pride.

“You’re cheaters, the lot of you,” Sirius huffed, placing his hand on top of Remus’ cage and shoving it downward while Remus laughed at him.

“Not our fault we’re faster than you,” Joanna shrugged. “Now do you lot wanna pick a place to sit because my mum is going to fuss over me until that train is about to leave, believe me.”

Sirius snorted. “I don’t doubt it,” he sighed. “C’mon, Remus. If we’re lucky we can catch an empty compartment. I don’t exactly fancy getting stuffed in with some Slytherins.”

Joanna snickered and shook her head. “Good luck with that.”

“I will sit in the bloody corridor if need be, just you watch,” Sirius warned, wagging his finger at her. 

Joanna chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. I’ll catch you in a few, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Sirius smiled. “Don’t let your brothers get you down.”

“I solemnly swear not to bash their heads in,” Joanna vowed, placing her hand over her heart. “Other than that I’m afraid you’re out of luck.”

Sirius laughed and shook his head at her before heading after Remus onto the Hogwarts Express. Meanwhile, Joanna marched over to her mother where the woman was doting over her two older brothers. Newt Kowalski had graduated Hogwarts when Joanna was ten-years-old and worked in the Ministry making laws for the protection of magical creatures to the absolute delight of Newt Scamander.

“Now, you must remember Jacob that OWLS are equally as important as your final exams and I worry that if you do badly you may have a hard time finding-,” Queenie rambled to her third son Jacob Jr.

“Mother,” Jacob sighed, holding up a single hand and a patient smile. “I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’ve got plenty of people to study with.”

Queenie let out a small sigh and flashed an almost nervous grin. “Okay, I just want to be sure because you know your brothers have done quite well and I don’t want something to happen to you,” she said, pulling him into a tight hug while Jacob laughed.

“I’ll be okay,” Jacob promised. “No need to worry yourself sick, mother.”

Queenie beamed at him and standing beside Nicholas, Joanna cleared her throat a bit too loud and winced.

Queenie’s eyes snapped over to her only daughter and they grew wide. “Oh, Joanna, I was afraid you had gone onto the train already!” She cried, pulling the girl into a bone-crushing hug and making Joanna grunt with the pain.

“Nope,” she murmured seeing as her face was pressed tightly against her mother’s coat. “I thought you might want to say goodbye.”

“I do sweetheart!” Queenie exclaimed. “I hope you have a wonderful year and be sure to write to everyone and let them know what house you get in though you know we’ll love you no matter what house it is.”

“I will,” Joanna nodded. “And I’ll try to visit during the holidays.”

“Oh, don’t feel you have to come every break, sweetheart,” Queenie assured her. “I’d love to see you but feel more than free to go on break with your friends if you want.”

Joanna beamed at her. “Right then, I’ll write to you as soon as I can,” she told her mother as she pulled the woman into another hug. “Bye, Mum.”

Queenie kissed her firmly on the top of her head. “Bye, sweetheart, have a great year. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Joanna said as she picked up her bags and waved goodbye to her mother.

Joanna marched over to the train but knelt down momentarily to pick up Juniper the bowtruckle. “Would you like to ride on my shoulder for the rest of the way or in my pocket like Uncle Newt always did?”

In response, Juniper climbed up Joanna’s arm and into her coat pocket while Joanna giggled. “Right then, it seems the pocket has it. Those must be very comfortable,” she hummed. Juniper proved just how cozy coat pockets were by leaning back and closing her eyes while Joanna laughed.

Before Joanna could even think of getting up, a heavy foot kicked her right in the back and had her tumbling onto her side. Juniper luckily didn’t fall out as she had jolted awake and held onto the pocket for dear life.

Joanna, on the other hand, wasn’t as lucky as she felt the skin right beneath her left eye where she had fallen begin to burn. She gently pressed her fingers to it and hissed when it stung.

Clenching her jaw, she jumped to her fight and whirled around to find her thirteen-year-old brother Nicholas glaring at her. 

“If the Sorting Hat even considers putting you into Ravenclaw I’m going to make your life a living hell,” Nicholas warned.

Joanna rolled her eyes. “And to think I had believed you were one of the good ones,” she mumbled.

“I’m getting bullied because of you! Because I didn’t get all the special treatment bloody Uncle Newt gave you and I didn’t go to a wizard primary school so I don’t get half the things people there reference!”

“It’s not my fault we moved to England for the last bloody time!” Joanna hollered and the bowtruckle in her pocket covered her ears. “You lot were just arses over it because you couldn’t handle the fact that maybe our parents are to blame for the move! Besides, you were three-years-old when we moved,” she huffed. “Just admit you only care about it because Quentin brainwashed you growing up.”

“That’s not true!” Nicholas hollered. “I got sorted into Ravenclaw, clearly I can think well enough for myself.”

“You get sorted based on what you value and could grow to become you, bloody idiot, clearly Ravenclaw has been completely lost on you,” Joanna scoffed. “And it’s a shame. From what I’ve heard that’s a fairly good house even better seeing as they had the goodness in their hearts to take in such a  _ massive  _ prat.”

“Take that back!” Nicholas snapped, pushing her backward a few steps and making her drop some of her bags.

“No, because when we were kids, I thought we were friends. We were as close in age as Quentin and Newt and you weren’t old enough to blame me for the move to England so it had been nice. That was until you got it in your deluded little head that you were nothing if you weren’t absolutely identical to Quentin.”

“Shut up,” Nicholas hissed, gritting his teeth as he glared at his sister. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?!” Joanna scoffed. “I was the one who watched my only friend growing up leave me for the sibling who hated my guts just because he thought that sibling was cooler. Funny thing is, I had sort of assumed you’d end up in Slytherin just like that arse. Guess you’re not as much like him as you had hoped,” she shrugged.

Nicholas clenched his jaw and punched her in the nose roughly making her fall backward onto the ground with the force of the blow. Nicholas grit his teeth against the pain in his hand and glared down at her. “I hope you end up in Hufflepuff like Uncle Newt fantasizes about. At least then Jacob is thick enough to take care of you.”

“Oh, Nicholas,” Joanna groaned patting the blood dripping from her nose and grimacing. “I had no idea you cared.”

“I don’t. All I’m saying is the pair of you can walk straight into the Black Lake together for all I care.”

With that sentiment, Nicholas marched away and headed onto the train. 

Joanna groaned and rolled over so she could try and push herself to her feet. She dribbled a bit of blood from her nose on the cement and rolled her eyes. Now, she was going to have to find somebody to heal her damn nose. She couldn’t just hop onto the train and join her friends like a normal girl, no, she had to be cursed with siblings who hated every breath she drew. Lovely.

As she was climbing to her feet a pale hand appeared in front of her face and she narrowed her eyes at it.

“It’s not going to jump out and bite you,” the owner of the hand assured her with a laugh. “I just want to help, come on.”

Joanna shrugged. She didn’t recognize the voice so it wasn’t like it could be Nicholas coming back for a second hit. There was no harm in accepting help. She took the hand and grunted as the individual pulled her to her feet.

When she rose she saw a boy with absolutely wild brown hair, circular brown glasses, pale cheeks but a bright smile that could dazzle any unsuspecting victim into dying for him.

“James Potter,” the boy introduced, holding out his hand for her to shake.

“Joanna Kowalski,” she nodded kindly and shook his hand.

“Kowalski,” James frowned. “Isn’t that the family with the woman who stood with-?”

“Oh, I’ve avoided that comparison for so long,” Joanna groaned. “It’s not what it seemed. My Mum didn’t join Grindelwald with the hopes of massacring all the muggles and getting muggle-borns and half-bloods banned from all schools. She just wanted to marry my father. He’s a muggle and in America, it was illegal for them to get married.”

James snorted. “I always knew America was just behind us. But really? It’s nothing,” he shrugged. “I’m the last person to judge anybody unless you’re a complete twat. You’re not, are you?”

Joanna giggled and winced against the pain in her nose. “Not as far as I can tell. Then again maybe it isn’t best to ask somebody personally if they’re a twat.”

“Good point but from what I saw the bloke that did that up to you is the twat in this,” James remarked, gesturing to her nose and scarred cheek. 

Joanna snorted and groaned, holding her nose once again. “Funnily enough, he’s my brother.”

James’ dark brown eyes widened several sizes at the revelation. “Next thing I know you’re gonna tell me he’s a bloody Slytherin.”

Joanna chuckled and shook her head. “No, he’s a Ravenclaw but I’m sure he was hoping for Slytherin. My oldest brother graduated from Hogwarts a bit ago but he was a Slytherin and Nicholas positively idolized him.”

“What sort of bloke idolizes a Slytherin?” James winced and Joanna laughed.

“The sort of bloke who does this to his sister,” Joanna responded, waving to her face and James chuckled. 

“You got a point there, but come on,” he said, slinging his arm through hers. “I don’t know the spells to fix your nose but my mum does. She’s a healer,” he explained.

“Ah, then it seems just the right person helped me up off the ground,” Joanna hummed.

“I’m quite the blessing, Jo,” James winked and Joanna laughed.

“On a better day I’m a blessing too, James Potter, don’t act like you’re the only one.”

James froze and turned to her with wide eyes. “There’s another god stuck in this tiny little body amongst these mortals?!” He exclaimed and Joanna howled with laughter as he pulled her into a tight hug. “You have no idea how alone I’ve been. All their disgusting little problems like schools and work, it’s absolutely horrid, and worst of all they only ever talk about the weather among their previously mentioned problems,” he whined. “It’s like they crave the pain.”

Joanna shook her head as she laughed at him and clutched her ribs. “And whenever they talk about the weather, it always seems to be complaining about it.”

“Exactly!” James cried, leaping upward as he stared at her in awe. “Finally, somebody I can bear the pain with!” He exclaimed and Joanna snickered.

He dragged her over to where his parents were still talking and they turned to frown at him. Joanna’s eyes widened when she spotted his parents. They were strangely old to have borne such a young child with so much life in him. Her mother always used to say she was grateful for her youth otherwise she would never be able to cope with even one of Joanna. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for these old parents.

“James,” his father frowned at him. “You’re meant to be on the train by now.”

“Well, I was leaving to go on the train when I saw this desperate damsel in distress being wounded by her own brother!” James cried indignantly.

“I’m not a damsel,” Joanna muttered.

“This desperate girl in distress being wounded by her own brother!” James amended with just as much passion as before and Joanna giggled. “I thought to myself  _ ‘father, told you that you must be on that train, you can’t break his rules you know’ _ , but at the same time I wondered what you would think if I let this poor girl lay there wounded and broken with no help. I decided to screw my courage to the sticking place and march over there to offer my help. However,” James started, holding up his finger as though he were keeping his parents hooked on a riveting tale of the past five minutes, “when I helped her from the ground I noticed the horrible injuries. I knew she couldn’t possibly be allowed to go to Hogwarts like this. How fair would that be to her?! So, with that knowledge in mind and the memory of mother’s skilled hand at healing, I knew it was my duty to bring her before you and beg for your wondrous healing skills.”

His parents shared a bemused glance and Joanna would wager this wasn’t the first time he had spoken this dramatically for no reason other than he seemed to just feel like it.

Mrs. Potter shook her head and pulled out her wand. “Sometimes, I wonder just what we’re going to do with you, young man,” she hummed. “Come here, dear, let me get a better look and see if he broke your nose.”

Joanna snorted. “I don’t think he can hit that hard personally,” she mumbled and James snickered behind her.

Mrs. Potter smiled solemnly and nodded. “It seems he can’t,” she muttered and James burst with laughter while Joanna smirked. Mrs. Potter ran a few healing spells over her nose and she felt the pain float away like it was carried from her on a cloud. “There,” Mrs. Potter sighed, patting her gently on the shoulder. “Good as new.”

“Not so fast,” Mr. Potter stopped them. He reached into his coat and pulled out a hanky. “You might want to wipe up that blood, love,” he suggested, offering up the white hanky.

Joanna winced, placing her fingers under her nose and realizing the blood was still there. She snatched the hanky from Mr. Potter as he chuckled and scrubbed the blood from her nose.

“Thank you so much,” Joanna sighed. “Both of you,” she said, her eyes flicking between James’ parents and they both nodded kindly to her.

“Brilliant!” James exclaimed. “Now, time for that train,” he hummed, running up to loop his arm through Joanna’s.

“Hold on just a minute,” Mr. Potter said, holding up his hand to stop him.

James froze with his leg halfway in the air and Joanna barked out a laugh at him.

“Aren’t you going to tell us your name, dear?” Mr. Potter implored, raising a brow at Joanna.

“Her name is Joanna, come on!” James cried, a new spring in his step.

Joanna laughed as he dragged her all the way back to the train entrance. He ran and grabbed a few of her belongings she had left behind and when she had stood waiting for him, he looked at her with wide eyes. “Go, go, go!” He cried.

Joanna threw her head back laughing and headed straight into the train. 

“Okay,” James huffed. “Are you gonna sit with me or me with you?”

Joanna smiled at his automatic assumption that they would be sitting together. It seemed this boy was bursting with more confidence than even she knew what to do with though she was unperturbed by the joyous entertainment the boy provided.

“I’ve got some mates I’m sure you’d love to meet waiting for me,” Joanna shrugged.

“Right then, it’s decided!” James exclaimed. “I’ll help you carry these to the compartment then grab my stuff.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Joanna nodded. 

They marched forward through the train with Joanna keeping an eye out for the compartment Sirius and Remus were sat in. It didn’t take long to find it as Sirius was standing at the entrance and squawking at anybody who tried to step inside. 

James froze and a slow smile slid across his lips. “I already love your mates,” he decided and she giggled. 

“I figured you might,” Joanna hummed. 

They marched over to Sirius and he tilted his head like an owl with wide eyes batting at them. “Squaaa?” He implored.

Joanna took a deep breath and thought. “Squaaa!” She exclaimed with a large grin and Sirius beamed at her.

“Passage is yours, milady!” Sirius cried, clearing the way for her to march inside.

“Thank you, good sir,” Joanna curtsied before moving inside. 

“How did you get him to do that?” Remus huffed, staring at her with large eyes. “He’s been refusing absolutely everyone, even when they squawk at him like that.”

“Enthusiasm, my dear Lupin,” Joanna hummed. “Sirius is nothing if not a big ball of energy but if I’m being honest I might have met his match outside the train.”

“What? Someone crazier than Sirius?” Remus scoffed.

“Not crazier,” Joanna giggled. “More entertaining. Plus, what’s life without the energy they’re going to provide us?”

“Safe?” Remus proposed and Joanna laughed.

“Nothing ever worth doing was safe. After all, do you think the founders were completely safe in making this school? Do you think any of the best Quidditch stars are safe?” Joanna implored and Remus furrowed his brows.

“No, but-.”

“But I’m going to get you out of that comfort zone Remus. Maybe, you can even end up in Gryffindor,” Joanna imagined.

“I don’t think-,” Remus frowned. 

“Ah, Remus,” Joanna sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Let go. You’re free from your father and any expectation anybody might have of you,” she said and felt his body tense at that. “Have a little fun before you die,” she suggested with a shrug, lifting her head off his shoulder and smiling brightly at him.

Remus’ cheeks pinked and he took a shaky breath, nodding fervently. “I will, but I just think we ought to have  _ some  _ limits.”

Joanna beamed a perfect Cheshire Cat smile. “We’ll see about that.”

Meanwhile, James and Sirius were engaged in a full-on discussion amidst their squawks and though Joanna was absolutely certain they didn’t understand a word the other was saying they seemed to be having quite the fun time getting the weirded out looks from every passerby.

Eventually, they saluted each other and spoke in squawks but Joanna knew it had to mean goodbye. Sirius waved James through into the compartment and James placed Joanna’s belongings down beside her while narrowing his eyes at her coat pocket. 

“Y’know I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before but is that a bowtruckle?!” James exclaimed, sitting down beside her and beaming at the bowtruckle.

“Yep,” Joanna giggled. “My uncle gave her to me before I came onto the platform. Her name is Juniper.” Joanna reached into her pocket and Juniper climbed onto her hand. Joanna held out her hand so James could get a better look at her.

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” James murmured, but the closer he got the further Juniper shied away. 

“She’s not too good with people, I think,” Joanna shrugged. “My uncle said her habitat was destroyed,” she explained.

James’ eyes widened and his face fell as he glanced at the bowtruckle cowering in Joanna’s hands. “That’s terrible,” James muttered. “Will she be okay at Hogwarts?”

“If she wouldn’t be my uncle wouldn’t have given her to me,” Joanna assured him with a small smile. “My uncle is Newt Scamander.”

James’ jaw dropped. “He- But you- What?!”

Joanna laughed and Sirius snorted. “I was just as surprised as you, mate.”

“Well, if I had known we have a proper celebrity in our midst!” James exclaimed with a gasp, clutching his chest and rising to his feet before bowing properly. “My lady, it is an honor to be allowed to stand in the presence of-nay, to breathe the same air as your grace.”

Joanna rolled her eyes and shook her head at the boy. “If you keep that up I’ll thump you. If I’m going to be demanding that kind of treatment from anybody it shall be my lessers and clearly you and I are equal gods.”

James snickered and bowed to her once again. “As you wish,” he nodded, and with that, he took a seat beside her once again. “So do any of you know any spells?” He asked, glancing around the group with bright eyes. “I only know the simple ones since my parents wouldn’t let me at most of the books but I’ve managed,” he beamed.

“Oh, I spent all my time learning Quidditch with Sirius,” Joanna chuckled as she nodded to the boy with wild curly dark hair. “If anybody would know the spells it’s Remus. He’s been spending a lot of time cooped up with his books, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows seventh-year spells.”

Remus winced and pinkened at the sudden turn of attention on him. Rather than meeting the eyes of any one member of the group, he fingered his robes and kept his eyes downwards. “I-It- I haven’t been reading books about spells.”

“Then what?” Joanna asked, patiently curious.

“Magical creatures,” he mumbled. “Namely werewolves,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper so they all had to lean towards him to hear.

“Oh, wicked!” James exclaimed.  “My dad always goes on about how massively misunderstood werewolves are but if I’m being honest I just thing the fangs are cool,” he hummed, imitating fangs around his mouth with his fingers and hissing.

“The fangs?” Sirius scoffed. “That’s no fun if you can’t claw anybody,” he smirked. “I mean you can actually maul someone to death and then wake up the next morning and go to classes like nothing happened. That’s maddening.”

Joanna watched Sirius with furrowed brows and concern twisting her face. “You’re sick, you know that?”

Sirius and James burst into laughter while Remus jumped up from his seat. They all looked up to see him rocking on his feet, focusing on one of their suitcases as his face grew suspiciously green.

Joanna was the first person on her feet and by his side, a gentle hand on his shoulder to steady him. 

“Remus?” She breathed. “Are you alright?”

“I-er-,” Remus murmured. Rather than speak another word, he rushed out of the compartment flying down the corridor and out of sight before the trio even had a chance to react.

“You idiots!” Joanna snapped, smacking the back of James and Sirius’ heads. “You made him sick with all your mauling talk.”

“Don’t look at me!” James cried, raising his hand in surrender. “It was all him.”

“Oi, I thought we had a good thing going there! You can’t squeal on me first chance you get!” Sirius barked.

Joanna rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna go check on him, try not to be talking about werewolves murdering people when I get back if you would be so kind,” she huffed.

Joanna shoved the compartment door open as James and Sirius looked to each other and slowly rose to a fit of laughter.

“As you wish, milady!” Sirius called as she marched down the corridor.

Joanna smiled softly and shook her head at him. She had no idea what she was going to do with these idiots but she wouldn’t give up their presence for the world. In just a short time she had grown into such an automatic comfort with them it felt like they should have known each other since they were babies rather than meeting on their own as kids. Something about their group just worked and felt  _ right  _ and she knew the other boys felt it as well. 

“Remus!” Joanna called, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. “Remus, where did you run off to?!”

She reached a compartment with two identical red-heads and a handful of Gryffindors all laughing loudly inside. 

At first, she doubted that they could have seen anything outside the compartment- let alone Remus, given out loud and rowdy they were being and how immersed they seemed to be in their own conversations. Nevertheless, she shrugged and let out a small sigh. It couldn’t hurt to ask. The worst they could do is confirm her suspicions and say they hadn’t seen him.

She shoved the compartment door open and peered inside only for one of the red-headed twins to groan loudly despite the smile painted across his face. “I thought you were the Trolley Lady. I’m absolutely famished.”

“Sorry,” Joanna shrugged. “I was just wondering if you’d seen a boy running past here. He’s fairly skinny, sandy brown hair, first year,” she described.

“No luck, kid,” the other twin shrugged. “Though aren’t you a little young to be searching for a boyfriend?”

The other Gryffindors laughed and she rolled her eyes. “Trust me if he was my type I would have given more of a beating to the boys who made him run off than I already did.”

“Ooooh,” the compartment chorused and the brothers eyed her with identical grins.

“What house are you hoping for, kid?” the first twin asked, raising a red brow at her. “Because I’ll tell you right now there’s a bit of Gryffindor in you,” he hummed.

“I’m waiting to see what the Sorting Hat says instead of getting my hopes up,” Joanna informed them. “I’ve found that everybody wants me to be in a different house so we’re just going to have to wait and see for ourselves,” she smiled. “Until then.”

“Good luck,” the twins called and she waved goodbye to them.

She closed the compartment door and turned right into another boy standing oddly close to her knocking them both back a few steps. Before her, there was a plump boy with dirty blonde hair, pale cheeks and an expression that said he would worry himself sick about anything and everything if he wasn’t so petrified of being sick.

“Sorry,” Joanna huffed, intending to step past the boy and continue searching for Remus.

“I saw him,” the boy mumbled.

Everything in Joanna’s body froze and she turned to the boy with wide eyes. “Where? Was he okay?! Did he look as though he’d been crying or anything? Oh, please don’t tell me he was crying I’ll beat the living daylights out of James and Sirius.”

The boy shook his head. “He went to the toilets and that was it,” he shrugged.

Joanna watched him carefully for a moment. “Show me where you last saw him,” she instructed. 

And so the boy did.

He guided her to the toilets on the train where low and behold the door the men’s toilet was locked but Joanna could see the light on through the small crack under the door. 

She knocked lightly and pressed her ear to the wood. “Remus? Remus, are you in there?”

She heard a bit of scrambling before a small huff. Whoever was in there was not happy with her presence. “Go away,” Remus mumbled and Joanna rolled her eyes.

“Listen, you know Sirius doesn’t always think on what he says. He just speaks. I know you can handle a lot worse than that. You’re tough, you are. If you weren’t I know you would have fled for the hills the moment he and I tried to rope you into being friends with us,” she smiled. “It was gruesome what he said and if you like I’ll beat him until he chokes out an apology if you just come back to the compartment with us.”

There was a moment of silence then some odd scuffling before the door swung open and Joanna stumbled forward a few steps before glancing up at him with wide eyes. His hair was slightly messier than usual and his eyes were tinted red as though he had been crying.

“Oh, Remus I will throttle that bloody bastard for you if that’s what you need,” Joanna huffed, her jaw clenched at the sight of his past tears.

“It’s fine,” Remus shook his head. “I’m overreacting but I knew I should have never come to Hogwarts.”

“What do you mean?!” Joanna exclaimed. “Why would you think like that over Sirius being absolutely disgusting?” She wondered. 

Remus just shook his head once again. “Will you-Will you really throttle him for me?” He wondered, glancing into her eyes cautiously.

Joanna giggled and nodded. “If you’d be willing to come back to us I’ll beat him purple if you so wish.”

Remus chuckled softly and hung his head. “I think- I think I’d like to see that.”

Joanna barked out a laugh. “Then your wish is my command, my dear Lupin. Now c’mon,” she said, looping her arm through his. “I wanna get on with the show before the Trolley Lady arrives,” she hummed and Remus snickered.

As they began to march past, the small boy piped up with stammers and anxiety. “I-er-I you don’t suppose I could sit with you?” the boy implored with a raised brow. “I’ve got nowhere else to go,” he said, the worst all coming out in a heated rush after his stammering as though he were physically shoving them from his body.

“Of course!” Joanna exclaimed, beaming down at the boy. “I’m Joanna Kowalski, by the way, and this is Remus Lupin,” she said, gesturing to the man beside her. “What’s your name?”

“Peter Pettigrew,” the boy mumbled.

“Good to meet you, Peter Pettigrew,” Joanna hummed. “Now let’s go meet the dunderheads.”

With a laugh from Remus and a furrowed brow from Peter, they headed to their compartment only to find James holding Sirius in a headlock and giving him the occasional noogie while Sirius shrieked and flailed about.

“What  _ are  _ you doing?!?” Joanna exclaimed. “Oh bloody hell I just sounded like my mum,” she moaned and Sirius laughed from his headlock. “Y’know what? I don’t care,” she shrugged. “But at least let me join in.”

“Oi!” Sirius cried as Joanna leaped on them and James laughed as they dissolved into an all out brawl between the three of them. Remus watched in amusement as though he were at some movie and all he was missing was popcorn while Peter watched in confused joy, assuming he ought to be laughing about this rather than voicing his worries about the trio being injured right before they started school.

With their attentions elsewhere, none of the group noticed as a boy with long dark greasy hair and a hooked nose as well as a little girl with soft red hair and gentle features crept into the compartment and took their seats. 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said in a constricted voice.

“Why not?”

“Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

“So what?” 

She threw him a look of deep dislike.

“So she’s my sister!”

“She’s only a —” He caught himself quickly; the girl, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him.

“But we’re going!” he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. “This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!” 

She nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half-smiled.

“You’d better be in Slytherin,” said the boy, encouraged that she had brightened a little.

“Slytherin?”

James popped out of the fight with Joanna and Sirius, his hair disheveled but a wild grin still plastered across his face as seemed to be usual for him.

“Who wants to be in Slytherin?” James scoffed. “I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” James asked Joanna and Sirius and while Joanna gave a small smirk of amusement, Sirius did not smile.

“My whole family have been in Slytherin,” he said.

Joanna winced. Sore subject for a new friendship.

“Blimey,” said James, “and I thought you seemed all right!”

Joanna turned to Sirius with wide eyes assuming he would look the slightest bit downtrodden or put out at James’ rude statement but rather than either of the justified reactions, Sirius grinned. Joanna furrowed her brows and turned to James only to see him beaming away as well.

She rolled her eyes.  _ Boys _ .

“I’ll definitely break the tradition,” Sirius assured him with a nod. “Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?”

James lifted an invisible sword.

“ ‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad,” James smiled.

“I’d have pegged your dad for a Ravenclaw from what I saw of him,” Joanna murmured. “It’s a funny world,” she hummed.

Meanwhile, the boy with the greasy hair made a small disparaging sound. James’ face fell from the warm smile he was giving Joanna to what could almost be considered a snarl. 

“Got a problem with that?” He prompted the boy with a raised brow.

“No,” the boy said, though his slight sneer told them otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy —”

“Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” Sirius interjected.

James and Joanna looked at each other once before roaring with laughter. The red-haired girl sat up, rather flushed, and looked between James, Sirius, and Joanna in dislike.

“Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.”

“Oooooo...,” the boys chorused while Joanna continued to laugh.

James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice and when “Severus” tried to march out of the compartment James attempted to trip him.

“See ya, Snivellus!” Sirius called, as the compartment door slammed.

 


	6. Do The Hippogriff

**September 28, 1971**

Joanna Kowalski sat in Professor McGonagall’s office with her arms crossed and her face twisted as though she had eaten the vomit flavored Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. She sat surrounded on either side by the boys she had spent practically every second with since they had all met each other.

They had all been quite proud of themselves when they managed to enchant all the books of Hogwarts to fly around Ravenclaw tower and chant at the Ravenclaw students. Nearly everyone was laughing, including the Ravenclaws who even took to dancing to the chants. Therefore, it was absolutely outrageous that they should be dragged to their head of house by their ears and sacked with a punishment.

Each one of them agreed there needed to be something to light a spark of happiness in the school where it had been slowly dimming down. Originally once they arrived at the school, the building had been buzzing with activity but with each passing day and homework assignment that faded and flickered out of sight. There was not a doubt in their minds that they brought at least a small bit of that light back and now they were going to be punished for it.

“This is ridiculous,” Joanna huffed.

“Is that so, Miss Kowalski?” Professor McGonagall hummed. “And why do you think that is?”

“Well for starters we performed magic we haven’t even been taught yet and put it on full display for the whole school, we also made everyone happy rather than harming them and I’d say we increased productivity a fair bit, wouldn’t you Mister Black?” She asked, turning to raise a brow at Sirius.

Sirius smirked and nodded confidently. “Without a shadow of a doubt. Would you say the same, Mister Potter?” He asked James.

“Oh, most definitely,” James hummed. “And you, Mister Lupin?”

“I certainly couldn’t see anybody frowning. Could you, Mister Pettigrew?”

“Not a sad face in sight, Mister Lupin,” Peter agreed.

“That means we should be getting thanked instead of punished,” Joanna insisted. “After all you wouldn’t punish a singer for doing their job, would you?”

“And do the five of you somehow think it is your job to cheer up the inhabitants of this castle?” Professor McGonagall wondered, the ghost of a smile tracing her lips.

“Well, if we don’t do it, who will?” James implored with a shrug. “We’re only picking up the slack, Professor.”

“I see,” Professor McGonagall hummed. “And if I were to punish you with a month’s detention, would you still feel the need to pick up the slack in the future or would that solve your problem?”

“We can’t predict the future Professor,” Sirius shrugged, leaning back in his seat and smiling easily at the older woman. “We aren’t allowed to take Divination classes until third year, remember?”

Despite herself, Professor McGonagall smiled thinly at the group. “Very well,” she hummed. “You know if the creator of this prank might step forward and reveal themselves I would be more than willing to diminish the punishment on the others,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the children. “After all when I spoke to Professor Dumbledore he implied he only sought the punishment of the creator of this prank.”

The children each exchanged wary looks, a thousand words being communicated through the thick silence rising in the room.

James shook his head adamantly to the group wordlessly insisting none of them speak, though it seemed the group had other plans for themselves.

“It was me,” Joanna proclaimed loudly and all the boys whipped their heads in her direction, their eyes bulging out of their skulls. “I thought of pranking one of the houses harmlessly to lift the spirits around here a bit,” she shrugged. “The boys just helped me think out my plan and get all the spells.”

Professor McGonagall’s face didn’t betray any emotion though Joanna was uncertain whether it would be better or worse if she had. The head of house simply leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath as though she was almost disappointed that she had to act on her promise, though from what Joanna knew of the professor so far that hardly seemed like her.

“Alright,” Professor McGonagall nodded. “I am as good as my word Miss Kowalski, you shall serve a month with me in detention writing lines while the others will serve two weeks.”

“Kowalski!” Sirius hissed, tugging on her arm furiously.

“Shove off, Sirius,” Joanna snapped. She yanked her arm out of her grip, never even looking back at him as she kept steady eyes on her head of house. “Thank you, Professor,” she nodded and the woman returned the gesture.

With confused murmurs amongst the boys, the group rose and began collecting their belongings to head back to their common room. That was until Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and froze them all in place- keeping them like statues until she inhaled deeply and spoke slowly.

“Miss Kowalski, please stay after for a few minutes I still have a few things I wish to say to you.”

With furrowed brows, Joanna looked between her friends and the Professor but of all the people it was James that shoved her towards McGonagall even just a few steps.

“Go on,” James murmured. “We’ll wait outside for you. However long it takes.”

Joanna steeled herself and, taking a deep breath, she nodded and started towards the professor. She heard the door close behind her, slightly shaking her nerves as she walked up to stand before the professor.

“Have a seat, Kowalski,” Professor McGonagall said, nodding to one of the empty seats.

“Yes, ma’am,” Joanna murmured, falling slowly into the chair.

Professor McGonagall didn’t speak immediately. Instead, it seemed she preferred to occupy herself tidying up papers on her desk or making small marks on the parchment before her. It took nearly ten minutes before she inhaled deeply and cleared her throat returning her attention back to Joanna Kowalski and folding her hands on the desk. 

“Miss Kowalski, did you honestly come up with this prank?” Professor McGonagall wondered and Joanna frowned. 

“Yes, Professor.”

“Then why own up to it?” McGonagall asked. “The others seemed more than willing to take the fall for you so why not let them?”

“Because they’re my friends,” Joanna shrugged. 

“No other reason?” McGonagall implored, raising a brow at the girl.

“Does there need to be?”

McGonagall leaned back in her seat with a small smile as though she had been hoping that’s what the child would say. She waved her hand towards a small tin at the right corner of her desk.

“Have a biscuit, Kowalski.”

“Have-what?”

“Have a biscuit,” Professor McGonagall nodded, leaning forward to open the tin for her.

At a snail’s pace, Joanna reached into the tin and pulled out a biscuit which made Professor McGonagall smile even brighter at her. 

“There we are,” Professor McGonagall hummed. “Now you tell those boys that your punishment is going to be doing two weeks of lines in detention with me and don’t give me that look, Miss Kowalski. I agree that the mood around the castle could have been better with school wearing on the students a bit though it’s my advice that next time the five of you might try a bit more of a subtler approach.”

“T-Thank you, Professor,” Joanna murmured, still fairly uncertain of what just occurred as she clutched the biscuit her teacher had given her between two fingers.

“My pleasure, Miss Kowalski. Now when you leave please be sure to tell those boys not to make a habit of listening to private conversations. I can practically feel their ears pressed against the door.”

“Yes, Professor,” Joanna mumbled, slowly collecting her belongings as her mind reeled and tried to work out whether or not she was in a dream.

She shoved the door open against the four very startled boys who all jumped back and watched her with wide eyes.

“Well?!” Sirius exclaimed the first to speak amongst the anxious air.

“She-She gave me a biscuit,” Joanna stammered, holding up the untouched biscuit still in her hand as proof.

“Oo, mine,” James snapped, snatching the biscuit out of her grasp and biting into it before she could even react.

“What else?” Remus asked, nudging into the other boys as he shoved his bag further onto his shoulder. 

“She shortened my detention and if I’m quite honest just seemed very pleased with the lot of us,” Joanna frowned. “She even suggested that our next prank be a bit more discreet.”

“Well, she’s head of the Gryffindor house for a reason,” Peter mumbled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sirius asked, raising a brow at Peter.

Peter let out a small antsy squeak as all the eyes of the group suddenly turned to him. “I was just saying all the heads of houses seem to act like their house. I mean Flitwick is definitely a Ravenclaw, Sprout is as Hufflepuff as they get and Slughorn-.”

“Is a bumbling narcissist,” Joanna finished with a nod. “Well, you’ve got a point there. And if that’s the case then we’re all in a bloody good house,” she giggled.

James grinned and stuck his biscuit in his mouth before draping his arms over the shoulders of both Sirius and Joanna. “Oh, it feels so good to be right. There’s this wonderful little thrill when people admit that your way was definitely the best way all along.”

Sirius laughed while Joanna smiled and rolled her eyes at the boy, shoving him lightly off of her so he stumbled back into Sirius. “Shove off, James.”

“Oi, that is bullying, Miss!” James exclaimed as he pushed her back.

Joanna barked out a laugh and ran up to push him harder before bolting past him, spinning around only briefly to wave in a quick taunt making his eyes widen. 

He shoved his bag into Remus’ arms before darting after her to the sounds of her own giggles. 

They raced through the corridors and it wasn’t long before she heard two pairs of feet running and she knew without even having to look back that Sirius had joined James in chasing her down. 

They looped around the corridors their laughter echoing through the school as they played together and Joanna couldn’t fight the grin stretched across her face. When her brothers chased her there was always an underlying sense of fear because they rarely shied away from doing as they pleased when they caught her. There was no self-assurance that they wouldn’t seriously injure her. However, with James and Sirius- though they never explicitly said it, she knew in her heart that they would never intentionally wound her. If she attained any injury from their games it would be solely by accident and that warmed her heart more than she could say.

They weren’t like her brothers and she could see that in them every second of each day they had spent together. They truly cared about her and wanted to not only spend time with her but help her if she would ever need it. All four of the boys did. 

Though she had not spent as much time with him as she used to when they were kids, she knew Sirius was enjoying their new circle of friends as well. She could see it from a mile away. It wasn’t just the two of them anymore, they had their own little family right there inside Hogwarts and it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Joanna skidded around another corner and her heart nearly stopped when she saw a red-haired girl and a boy walking right where she was running. 

Knowing she wasn’t going to be able to stop herself without at least bumping into them, she did the first thing she could think of: she screamed.

Joanna screamed at the top of her lungs and the red-haired girl and the greasy boy flew apart, watching her with wide eyes. Joanna’s stomach dropped when she recognized the faces from the train but she didn’t bother to stop and give them a rude greeting. She instead settled for a passing look of surprise as she continued to run with Sirius and James hot on her trail.

Sirius and James didn’t bother to give the warning that Joanna had given the pair and instead she heard James scream, “coming through!” as several books and papers slammed onto the floor. 

Joanna spun around, curious to see if Severus would do anything to James as the boy seemed to be itching to get more than a few rude words in against her friend on the train. However, it turned out to be a grave mistake because at that very moment, Sirius tackled her to the ground and with a last shriek she fell beneath him.

Meanwhile, Severus and the red-haired girl turned and walked in the direction opposite to the group, the pair mumbling under their breath about the recklessness of the friends.

Lily Evans was surprisingly the one holding the most complaints as she not only shared a house with the hooligans, but she shared a dormitory with none other than Joanna Kowalski.

“She hardly ever talks to anybody else, Severus,” Lily sighed like a disappointed parent. “I don’t think it’s healthy if you ask me. She gets a few words in with one or two of the girls here and there but most say they don’t really know anything about her. All she does is spend her time with those boys.”

“She doesn’t exactly seem like she’d be any different from any of them. In fact, I believe she was the one who came up with that awful prank against the Ravenclaws. At least that’s what the people in my house are saying.”

Lily cast one last look back to the group. Joanna had her hands tied behind her back and was hopping onto Sirius’ back only for him to collapse onto the ground feigning absolute exhaustion at carrying her. She laughed at him and James pretended to threaten her with his wand.

“She’s going to be risking so much by being friends with them and she doesn’t even see it,” Lily huffed. “They’re loud, noisy boys with no sense of right or wrong and I think she should see sense now before it’s too late.”

“She won’t see sense if she’s like them, Lily,” Severus hummed. “It’s good that you want to save her but I don’t think there’s any saving her from that,” he said, jabbing his thumb back where Sirius, Joanna, and James were all spinning around singing  _ Do The Hippogriff _ (all the screaming enthusiastically included on Joanna’s part).

“I don’t want to give up on her just yet, Severus. She seems much nicer than the boys and that means even if it’s small, there’s a chance she can be rescued from them.”

Right after she said this, two boys went flying past them-one weighed down by several bags and one scrambling to keep all the papers he had on him in his arms. Lily and Severus spun around to watch as Remus and Peter began dancing with the group and Remus tossed Joanna’s bag over her head.

“Ridiculous,” Severus huffed. “I don’t understand how you have the heart to handle all of them.”

“Not all of them,” Lily hummed. “Just Joanna. And I’ll save her from them, just you watch and see,” she smiled.


	7. Paris

**June 18, 1993**

They landed in the Kowalski Paris residence at the crack of dawn and Remus looked ready to collapse. 

“If you can’t find any sign of where she went after this you know we’re just as doomed as the Ministry, right?” Remus implored with a raised brow.

“Oh, Moony, the idea that I could be as helpless as that bloody Ministry is quite frankly a grievous insult that I do not take lightly,” Sirius huffed. “Now they said they found several places where she might have gone but no signs of her at each place so all we have to do is figure out where she actually went.”

“It’s not going to easy,” Remus hummed. “This house doesn’t show any of the signs of her escape like the last one did.”

Sirius made a noncommittal noise as he moved through the house, memories flashed before his eyes once again.

Before him, a long winding staircase emitted light laughter as one figure slid down the railing while the other raised after the first. 

_“Sirius!” Joanna giggled as she hurried down the steps while the boy’s dark hair fell into his eyes and he beamed at her. She caught his arm just before he reached the end of the railing and rolled her eyes at him. “I’m supposed to be helping Lily before the baby comes.”_

_“Oh, I’ve heard enough about that baby to last me a lifetime,” Sirius groaned. “Every time I see James he won’t stop talking my ear off about it. Says he’s going to name the kid James II if he can get through to Lily.”_

_“That’ll be the day,” Joanna snorted. With a soft smile, she looked off into the distance and absentmindedly, Sirius began twirling the ends of her hair. She took a deep breath and gazed back at him, something muddling her usually bright eyes. “Pads, if I don’t make it-.”_

_Sirius placed his hand over her mouth. If he could stop the words from coming out maybe he could stop the reality from creeping into their hidden paradise._

_Joanna shook her head, shoving his hand away and cupping his cheek- tracing his cheekbone with her thumb gently. “I know,” she mumbled. “But I know our chances of surviving aren’t great in the Order and I just- I want you to be okay. If you live and I don’t. I’m scared for you, Sirius. You’re very bad at being alone and I’m scared that if I die and leave you here alone you’re going to sink into some great depression or get furious and risk your life against the Death Eaters even when you know you don’t need to. I just- If I die my one wish would be for you to live and I know you. You would back down on that one thing when you become so riddled with emotion you don’t know what to do with yourself.”_

_Sirius glanced down, breathing heavily as the wheels in his mind spun so rapidly he wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Eventually, his eyes flicked up to meet hers cautiously. “You talk like your death is a fact. What if I die instead of you?”_

_Joanna watched him sadly. “That’s not an option. I’m not going to let this world live without you, Sirius Black.”_

Sirius took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He wished he could scream at the memory. To rip into it and beg the woman where she was. Plead with her to tell him that she was still alive and hiding where he could easily find her and bring her home.

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Nothing ever had been since the blasted war began. Suddenly everything was; riddles, secrets, mazes, and traps if only to keep the things they loved most sacred and hidden from those that would defile it or rip it from them.

All Sirius or Remus had were the memories of those few years in Hogwarts before the war. That brief time when forever was not so far out of their reach and eternal youth seemed entirely likely. 

Then the deaths of Muggles began flooding in, soon after the deaths of Muggle-Borns and Half-Bloods, Blood Traitors and anybody who dared to ask _why?_ He wished he had a Time-Turner so he could run back and stow her away to a little cottage in the middle of nowhere. She would be safe and secure, but even as he thought this he knew she would never be happy. Even on her worst days, Joanna thrived with people. She was never a homebody and if he had ever tried to make her into something she wasn’t she would hate him more than Voldemort even if he had good intentions behind it.

He shook his head as he remembered how willing Joanna had been to die. She was only twenty when she went missing, the youngest of the group which would always irritate her to no end. War had even robbed them of their sense of a proper life. James and Lily tried to have it and they were all aware of what a horrible spin that had taken when Dumbledore first told them all of the prophecy. He prayed to whatever deity might actually answer him that she hadn’t got what she wanted and was still alive out there. 

It was about all he had left outside of Remus’ attempts at reassurance against all they had lost.

He marched down the corridor passing several rooms with their doors closed tightly until he reached one room with the door left slightly open. Sirius glanced behind him, silently wondering if he should call out to Moony but immediately deciding this was something he would feel better facing alone the first time around. He pushed the door open slowly and the wood moaned as he cautiously peered inside and recognized the room automatically.

It was Joanna’s.

Steeling his nerves, he crept inside and glanced around at the hollow space she left behind. There were clear signs that she had been there. The sheets on the bed at the left side of the room were crumpled up where Queenie obsessively ensured every inch of that house was spotless each time they left.

There were sticky notes scattered on the left wall and pencils and papers tossed across the floor haphazardly but what really drew Sirius’ eye was the right wall and Joanna’s desk pressed up against it. 

Along the right wall there were wizard photographs of each of the Marauders as well as several members of the Order and beneath their pictures were all the Death Eaters Joanna knew of.

Some of the Order members were crossed out with red ink or there was a brief description beneath their picture if they were incapacitated.

The first picture to the far left was of Sirius and in Joanna’s handwriting in all caps beneath his face, he saw the word ‘AZKABAN’. After him was Remus and beneath his face stood a line of question marks. Then followed James and Lily. They were both crossed out and Sirius’ heart clenched at the very sight. 

What was interesting about the fifth picture was if she knew Sirius was in Azkaban she would have seen the papers claiming he killed Peter but rather than a big red ‘X’ over Peter’s face, there was simply a line of question marks beneath his picture as well. 

After Peter came Fabian and Gideon Prewett who were both crossed out, Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald met her big red X as well. Molly Weasley had no X over her face but instead, there was a sticky note attached to her picture that read “learn more”. Professor McGonagall had a sticky note as well that read “is Hogwarts safe?”. Finally, there was a picture of the rest of her family, all crossed out except her mother Queenie Kowalski. 

Sirius narrowed his eyes and traced his fingers over the red X on her father. Jacob Kowalski had died only a few years back. Sirius didn’t remember much about the fates that befell each member of Joanna’s family but he tried to keep tabs on as many people as he could through the papers in Azkaban, and he knew one thing for certain: Jacob Kowalski at least survived through the eighties which meant that Joanna Kowalski had been to that residence within the last three or four years.

Sirius couldn’t have felt lighter at that moment if he was sailing on a cloud. A new wave of energy rushing through him, he began rifling through the contents on the desk hoping to bring even more evidence forth when he ran out to Moony with hope pumping in his veins.

The desk was old and had likely been in Joanna’s life since they were young children but it was still standing strong enough to hold the towers of books and papers stored on it.

Most of the books were spells and charms, lessons far more advanced than anything she could have hoped to learn at Hogwarts and many things he hoped she never needed to use. However, amongst the papers, there was a list of places like he remembered Queenie mentioned to them only this list had places crossed out with small notes beside them.

 ~~Paris~~. _Ministry of Magic arrived. May still be infiltrated? Look into._

 ~~Rome~~. _Fenrir Greyback on the run, in hiding here. Incapable of overpowering him. Attacked. Nearly bitten._

 ~~Athens~~. _Registry in place. Searching for muggle-borns and half-bloods._ ** _Not safe._**

 ~~Amsterdam~~. _Dolohov and Yaxley hiding here. Death Eater group found sanctuary. Attacked. Kidnapped._

Berlin. _Keep out of sight. Live away from people. Better chances of safety._

Barcelona. _Safehouse obtained. Ministry too closely tied. Only visit if necessary._

Moscow. _Home with traps laid. Living away from people. Safehouse if necessary._

Sirius smirked. She was making it easier for him that much was obvious. It felt as though on some level she was silently asking him to find her though he knew that would be mad to think. For all she knew he was still locked away in Azkaban for crimes he didn’t commit.

He took a deep breath and pulled the picture from the wall placing it beside her parchment of notes before grabbing a blank parchment and quill to jot down a note to her. 

If she was still alive and returned to what seemed to be her home base before they could find her, she deserved to know they were searching for her. He scribbled down some quick information, nothing too revealing but enough for her to understand before heading out into the corridor to inform Moony of the news.

He crept through the corridor a smile plastered on his face where he had started to think it was impossible through the tortures of Azkaban.

“Sirius?” He heard the werewolf call and his grin only grew.

“Moony, you will not believe what I’ve found,” Sirius chuckled, pushing open the door he heard Sirius behind and finding himself in the kitchen.

“I could say the same,” Remus chortled. “I was looking in the fridge for any evidence if she might’ve stopped in and, well, see for yourself,” he said. He opened the fridge door and waved the animagus forward.

Sirius folded the papers in his hands and tiptoed towards the fridge as though an explosion might go off if he got too close or moved too fast. 

Inside the fridge he found; a half carton full of milk with the expiration date a week ago, a carton of eggs only just expired days ago, countless bottles of water, a few bowls filled with various fruits not looking too terrible considering the expiration dates on her beverages, and a small carton of cookie dough with the spoon still in it.

“She was here recently,” Sirius breathed.

“At most maybe two months ago,” Remus nodded. “She must have thought she was coming back fairly quickly or she’s used to throwing these things out but either way there’s hope.”

“How has she got the money?” Sirius scoffed. “The Ministry would have seen if she had a job under her own name.”

“An alias?” Remus suggested with a shrug. “Either that or she’s stealing which I wouldn’t put past her. Still, this could very well be some intruder stowing their things away in her fridge- it isn’t foolproof.”

“No,” Sirius agreed. “But this is.” He handed Remus the papers in his hand and allowed the werewolf a few minutes to look through the list and photograph. “She was here sometime in the last four years, maybe even more recent if that list has been updated.”

Remus let out a strangled sound, his eyes wide and unblinking as he stared at the papers in his hand-likely not even believing them to be real. “This-This is something,” he breathed. “Her home didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know but now-now we have a place to start and proof she survived after the Ministry declared her dead.”

“This would usually be the bit where I told you so,” Sirius smirked. “I won’t to spare your dignity, but just know I’m thinking about it.”

Remus snorted and rolled his eyes as he shoved the papers into the chest of the animagus. “And just when I was starting to think Azkaban wiped away some of your ego,” Remus huffed.

Sirius chuckled and shook his head. “Ah, Moony, no dementor can erase an ego as perfect as mine,” he beamed. “It took years to cultivate this. Far longer than the time spent in that little old cell.”

“I should have known better than to hope,” Remus said. “Now, come on. She crossed out four of the seven on that list so we’d better start with the last three.”

“Right, camping trip in Berlin,” Sirius hummed. “Let’s hope I don’t get any more fleas,” he winced.

Remus snorted and shook his head as they headed back to the fireplace and used the floo powder to carry themselves to Berlin. 

Meanwhile, not too far from the house, a blonde figure appeared with a pop of apparation. Humming to herself, she carried several bags of groceries in her small arms. 

She kicked the door to the Paris home and cast a quick Revelio to ensure nobody else was within the house.

Barely even ensuring the coast was clear, she headed into the kitchen and refreshed all the expired items or items going back. 

Once she tossed out all the items and placed new ones in its place, she removed her leather fingerless gloves continuing to softly hum a Weird Sisters song she had long since forgotten the name of. 

She headed through the corridor to the only room left ajar and picked up a few books at the top of a shaky stack on the desk.

That was until she noticed a hastily scrawled note at the center of the desk.

Furrowing her brows, she dropped the books and moved to read it.

_Snow-_

_Pads is out of prison. Looking for you. Stick in one spot._

Heart pounding in her ears and her fingers shaking, she slowly stuffed the note in her pocket and picked up a bright red marker. She gravitated towards the beaming picture of Sirius Black on the far left and with a soft smile, she put a hard slash through the word ‘AZKABAN’.


	8. Full Moons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stole a few lines from tumblr posts in this chapter. Credit to the original headcanons and I could only get links to the images of these posts (unfortunately) but those are here; 
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d4/2a/69/d42a69fdf25c3b84ff6b857d110e090e.jpg
> 
> https://pics.me.me/when-the-marauders-find-out-remus-is-a-werewolf-remus-30042980.png

**June 29, 1972**

“What you’re saying is ridiculous!” Joanna hissed to the three boys sitting around her, warily glancing over her shoulder once more as though the friend they were discussing behind his back might pop out like a phantom. “He’s been disappearing a few days out of every month ever since I can remember. Sirius,” she said, nudging the boy by her side. “Tell them!”

“You’re right, Kowalski, but you’ve got to admit it’s odd that he disappears around the full moon every month,” Sirius mumbled. “Plus the way he acts whenever we talk about werewolves.”

“I checked and rechecked but he’s always out on the full moon,” James muttered. “At the very least that’s worth bringing up to him.”

“And saying what?” Joanna wondered. “Even if he is a werewolf, and that’s a very big if, nothing should change between the five of us. He hasn’t exactly mauled us to death since we’ve known him so I highly doubt he’s going to start now.”

“Wouldn’t we just scare him?” Peter piped up. “After all if he’s been keeping this secret it must be for good reason.”

“Exactly!” Joanna cried, waving wildly towards the boy. 

“We can’t just pretend that we don’t know now that we know,” Sirius shrugged. “You’re all terrible liars, he’ll be able to tell something is wrong.”

Joanna rolled her eyes and shoved Sirius lightly onto his side. “Shut up,” she moaned.

“If we’re going to tell him, we need to tell him together,” James instructed. “That’s the only way to keep this from feeling like we’re all creeping around him.”

“What, and gang up on him?” Joanna frowned.

“We’re not going to be ganging up on him,” James huffed. “There have been plenty of times we’ve all talked without it being ganging up on each other- oh gods we’re going to gang up on him,” he rambled.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Sirius insisted.

“I think it’s going to be awkward and difficult no matter what we do,” Peter sighed.

“You lot talk like we’re going to be telling him we’re pregnant,” Joanna frowned. “Let’s just rip the bandaid off if we’re going to be doing it altogether.”

The group all exchanged wary looks but despite the silence there seemed to be an air of agreement amongst them. Nobody raised any ideas that might make them all feel better and resolve this so, failing that they all knew they had to confront Remus then.

With an atmosphere tense enough to be cut with a butter knife, they all rose to their feet and began heading out to find Remus where he was the sole person helping Queenie Kowalski with the chores. 

“You know, Remus, sometimes I think I should adopt you and leave the other children in this house to fend for themselves,” Queenie chuckled. “You seem to be the only child that cares about helping me clean up after your messes after all.”

“It’s no trouble, ma’am,” Remus smiled. “Back at my house my dad sort of demands I clean up after myself and has done since I was about five.”

“Clearly, your dad is handling his household better than I seem to be able to,” Queenie hummed.

Peering into the doorway of the kitchen, James softly cleared his throat to draw Queenie and Remus’ attention. The pair looked over their shoulder and Queenie only giggled at the sight of the boy squirming where he stood so exposed to them.

“Oh, speak of the devil,” Queenie laughed. “James, could you find it in your heart to find the others and help us or are they going to be practicing Quidditch all night? You all do know you’re not allowed to try out your second year, right?”

“We know, Mrs. Kowalski, but we actually need to talk to Remus for a bit if you don’t mind?” James implored with a raised brow.

“Oh, is it important?” Queenie huffed. “He’s been my best helper.”

Remus watched James’ face and felt his gut twist as he measured the reactions of his friend. Something was wrong and there was a cold fist around his heart telling him just what that something might be. “I-It’s alright, Mrs. Kowalski,” Remus murmured. “I’ll come back and help.”

Queenie furrowed her brows as she looked between the two boys, obviously trying to read what was happening but the boys had learned from Joanna to put up walls and block the Legilimens out when it was absolutely dire.

With a small huff, she nodded and tossed the rags she had been using to clean onto the counter. “Very well, I suppose I’ll work in the garden until we can finish,” she decided.

Nodding absently, Remus gravitated towards where James stood and James turned to guide Remus out of the kitchen towards where the other four members of their little group awaited.

Once they were all tucked inside the small study room Queenie Kowalski had set up for her children, Sirius closed the door behind them and everybody seemed to be avoiding Remus’ gaze which did nothing for the poor boy’s nerves.

“Wh-What is it?” Remus murmured.

Joanna glanced around the group and spotting none of the boys willing enough to start, she took a deep breath and screwed her courage to the sticking place. “We-We know, Remus.”

Remus looked as though he had seen the ghosts of his dead relatives, but to his benefit, he did try to play it off well enough.

“Know-Know what?”

Joanna glanced to James and when he kept his eyes fixed on the ground, she clenched her jaw and whacked him on the back of the head. “You looked into this, it’s only fair that you explain yourself.”

James winced and squirmed anxiously as his eyes slowly flicked up to meet Remus’. “I sort of looked up some of the past full moons towards the end of last year because I thought our Defense teacher might have been a werewolf,” he mumbled. “I noticed that every time you’ve been gone it’s been on a full moon and while I didn’t want to assume anything when you disappeared again this past full moon, I had to tell the others.”

Remus looked ready to faint but still, he held to his convictions. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Remus, we don’t think any different of you,” Joanna scoffed, seeing that apprehension in his eyes. 

“But-But wouldn’t you want me kicked out? I share a dorm with you,” he said, nodding to the boys.

“Of course, we’re not going to have you kicked out!” Sirius exclaimed. “Why would we do that?”

Remus furrowed his brows, his eyes flicking through the group and dissecting them as though he were trying to find some great big prank that wasn’t there. “Because I’m a monster…,” he trailed off.

James snorted and shook his head. “Oh, stop being such a drama queen,” he huffed. “You fold your socks, Remus. Do forgive me if I’m not trembling at the sight of you.”

“But now that you know you’ll know what I go away every month to do. You’ll know that I change into this thing,” he squirmed. “And if you hear howls outside you’ll know-.”

“Remus,” James said, cutting him off before he could launch into a ramble about how odd he was. “See this arm?” He prompted, lifting up his left arm. “It’s actually shorter than my other arm but you can’t really tell. Especially when I twirl like this.” He then demonstrated by twirling like a perfect ballerina.

“My right eye is actually slightly bigger than my left eye which makes the countless portraits I’ve sent for super difficult,” Joanna hummed.

“I’m lactose intolerant,” Peter shrugged. 

“I’m obnoxious!” Sirius cried, throwing his hands up in the air to prove his point.

“What we’re saying is, it makes no difference whether you’ve got a furry little problem or an inability to drink dairy or two oddly shaped eyes,” James explained. “We’re a team. A club, if you will. A gang. A family. A-.”

Joanna held up her hand. “Could have left it at team.”

“You really mean it?” Remus prompted, furrowing his brows, his body braced for the emotional blows that would never come. “You’re alright with what I am?”

“What you are is a snoring lazy bugger who somehow has all the brains in the world and can’t seem to see that we really couldn’t care less about the bastard that pops out once a month,” Sirius chortled.

“Yeah, honestly Remus our only concern was whether or not you would be okay and if this was technically us ganging up on you,” Joanna told him.

Remus seemed to gradually begin to brighten as he started to accept the endless assurances from his friends that they didn’t hate him and wish for him to burn at the stake because he was bitten by a werewolf when he was a child. Though with one look the group all knew it would take time for them to adjust to the new circumstances surrounding their friendship. Remus was right when he said that now at every full moon they would be faced with the concept of hearing howls and knowing it was Remus somewhere out there getting into Merlin knows what, and although the friends were unaware of it they would also be left to help him after full moons hiding it from their own family members to keep Remus safe from their potential prejudice.

It was a shift in what their lives had been for the past year but nothing none of them were willing to do to ensure the safety of the man they thought of as their own family.

“Right then,” Joanna proclaimed, clapping her hands together and making Remus and James jump. “Last one to the yard for Quidditch is a rotten egg.”

The children exchanged one quick wide-eyed gaze before each scrambled to run to the yard except for two. James latched onto Joanna’s wrist and pulled her backward so she stumbled a few steps and glanced back at him with furrowed brows.

“Jo, do you think we should tell our parents?” James wondered, his eyes fixed on his feet as he spoke softly. “I mean I support Remus, I do, but we usually go to your house or mine and if we end up helping him around full moons our parents might get suspicious and I dunno if I should lie to them or tell them the truth and if I tell them the truth, I don’t know if they’ll be as okay with it as we are, I just think-.”

Joanna pressed a finger to his lips, a small smile sliding across her face. “If Remus decides he wants to tell our parents or is okay with us telling them then we will. Until then, let’s not worry him with it,” she suggested.

James fell back a step and let out a soft sigh. “Right yeah, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I’d say you’re nervous about Remus but seeing as I know you you’re probably just still feeling guilty about being the one to look up the full moon dates,” Joanna shrugged. “Though between you and me, was the Defense teacher a werewolf?”

James smirked and a weight seemed to be pulled off his shoulders as he fell into step beside Joanna heading to the yard to play Quidditch with the others. “No, but I suspect he was a vampire.”

“Are vampires real?!” Joanna exclaimed with wide eyes.

“You should ask your Uncle Newt,” James hummed.

“Last time I asked Uncle Newt if something you told me about was real he got my bowtruckle to hit me,” Joanna scoffed. “But nevermind that we’ve got a new Defense teacher this year and Sirius said he wants it to be a centaur.”

“Oh, it can’t be a centaur,” James shook his head. “Centaurs are far better in Divination and besides Dumbledore probably wouldn’t allow one in the school because they have a nasty idea of punishment.”

“Mm, stranger things have happened,” Joanna murmured. “But is it true we’re going to be getting a new Defense teacher every year because there’s a curse on the job? My brothers mentioned it but I know well enough not to trust them.”

“Oh, and you trust me?!” James exclaimed, clenching his heart and smiling sweetly while Joanna snorted and rolled her eyes. “Why my dear Jo I am humbled.”

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Joanna moaned. “I trust you more than I trust my brothers which is not saying much seeing as I’d trust Snivellus more than I trust them at this point.”

James clenched his chest once more but this time feigning as though he had taken an Unforgivable Curse. “Och, Jo, why do you would me?!” He cried. “What have I done to receive this great injustice?!”

“That,” Joanna stated simply, gesturing to his entire body and James barked out a laugh. “Also you kick in your sleep and I’ve got the bruises to prove it.”

“It’s my body trying to run away from you even though I’m lying down,” James shrugged. “I know that even when I’m asleep that I’m too good for you.”

“Shame you couldn’t get far enough,” Joanna sighed. “I’ll rejoice in the day when I break free from the mysterious stench that follows you everywhere.”

James snorted. “Are you sure that’s not you?”

Joanna stared up at him with wide eyes and her jaw slightly dropped out of absolute horror. “You scoundrel!” She cried. “I’ll have you know I smell perfectly pleasant, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, tell that to the birds dropping dead around you and the plants beginning to rot.”

Joanna let out a small disparaging sound as she skidded to a stop and glared so hard at James he might have thought poison would begin seeping through his clothes.

“James Potter, I will kill you,” Joanna hissed.

James felt his heart stop in his chest as he turned to the girl glowering at him. “Oh, you’ve got your scary voice on,” he murmured. “Sirius has warned me about that voice, I have nightmares about that voice.”

“Run.”

Not needing any further encouragement, James took off running down the corridor and flew out of the back door leading into the yard. 

Sirius opened his mouth to speak the moment he saw James but when he saw the expression on his best friend’s face. He dropped his broom and, without a single word, took off running.

Joanna came bolting around the corner seconds later and with that sight, Remus and Peter darted in the direction of the two other boys.

“Oh honestly, children,” Queenie huffed. “There really is no need for this if you just sat down and talked like ordinary people-.”

“How boring is that?!” Sirius exclaimed right before yelping as Joanna made a grab at him.

“Yeah, honestly, Mum,” Joanna moaned. “Asking us to act like ordinary people is like asking the sky to be purple, you can beg and plead all you want but nothing is ever gonna change.”

“That’s good though, innit?” James assumed, raising a brow at the group.

“That’s- ow,  _ Joanna _ ! That’s really a great thing,” Remus hummed, rubbing his side where Joanna pinched him, frowning as she giggled delightedly at her achievement.

Queenie chuckled softly and shook her head. “Very well, then.” She continued tending to her shrubs while the children behind her ran around screaming in circles.

 


	9. I Can Help You

**March 3, 1973**

Joanna felt a pull at her arm and before she could even stand a chance of reacting the hand on her arm tugged her around the corner of the library into a small hidden corner away from prying eyes.

Joanna rubbed her own eyes to adjust to the sudden lack of light. She furrowed her brows as her vision gradually cleared and she found herself standing face to face with an antsy red-head- and not just any red-head- Lily Evans herself.

“I have to be quick because I know they’ll be searching for you within seconds, but I can help you out of this,” the girl assured Joanna.

Joanna would have laughed in Lily’s face if she wasn’t absolutely certain she’d be feeling the aftermath of that laughter in the dorm the girls shared.

“I’m sorry, what?” Joanna settled for.

Lily frowned at the brunette, clearly expecting more of a frantic getaway the moment Joanna had been allowed the chance. “You know what they’re doing, don’t you? This recklessness and these pranks will only end up hurting your future. You’re really smart from what I’ve seen in class but if you insist on being around them it’ll only end badly.”

“Taken a shining to Divination, Evans?” Joanna implored with a small smirk. “Listen, if anybody’s ruining futures here it’s me,” she chuckled. “I’m the one who started the whole pranking business and I’m the one who introduced them all to each other.” She glanced back at the boys too caught up in their roughhousing to notice she had disappeared. “They’re my marauders,” she hummed.

Open-mouthed and clearly at a loss for words, Joanna left Lily standing stunned in the tiny corner while she spun out and towards the boys. 

They all stood to attention like soldiers in an army while she pulled her wand out of her small boots, just the right fit for a twelve-year-old that spends nearly every second of her life running around every surface she can find. 

She beamed at the boys and spun her wand in her fingertips. “Alright, boys, let’s get this show on the road.”

Lily watched with narrowed eyes as they spied something or someone just out of the sight of the red-head. They lifted their wands and a book Lily couldn’t quite make out and spoke a spell she didn’t recognize. 

With a wave of their wands, Lily crept forward just as a Slytherin boy let out a strangled yelp as he found himself no longer in his robes but in a Muggle prom dress. 

Like dominoes falling one by one, gradually all the other Slytherins in the room began finding their robes transfigured into Muggle prom dresses as well. 

Lily could spot maybe two Slytherin students that took fairly well to it and one even began twirling in their dress, but the rest were screaming out curses Lily was certain sailors wouldn’t dare to repeat.

Meanwhile, the pranksters were laughing and high fiving as though they had pulled off the greatest heist of the century. 

Lily rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of her hiding place, slamming her hand on the wall as she went and making all the boys jump while Joanna just watched her calmly. “What was the meaning of that then?!” Lily snapped. “There was no reason to embarrass all the Slytherin students.”

“Oh, my dear Evans,” James sighed. “Clearly you don’t follow Quidditch.”

“Slytherin won last week’s tournament by cheating,” Joanna exclaimed when Lily looked more confused than any of them had seen her look before. “They seriously wounded most of the Gryffindor team and won by making sure anybody else was physically incapable of standing up against them. There have even been rumors of curses against the Gryffindor team but McGonagall claims they didn’t find any.”

“So, that’s a reason to punish the entire house?” Lily scoffed.

“It is when every single Slytherin in the stands was cheering for it,” Joanna retorted. “So we might end up getting a few Slytherins who had nothing to do with it,” she shrugged. “It’s not like we’re doing anything that’ll actually injure them. They’re dresses. The worst that can happen is a few Slytherins live with a wounded pride for a bit.”

“Why bother explaining yourself to her, Kowalski?” Sirius wondered. “She’s obviously gonna just go back to Snivellus and make sure he’s okay after all this is done.”

Lily opened her mouth to defend herself but it seemed the team had already made up their minds about her.

“You’re probably right,” Joanna sighed, and if Lily didn’t know better she’d say the girl looked the slightest bit disappointed. “Still, what I wouldn’t give to see Snivellus in a prom dress,” she chortled.

“On a better day when the sun looks kindly upon us, Jo,” James hummed, looping his arm through his friend’s. “Until then, Remus has been waving at us to leave for the past five minutes.”

Lily winced as she realized she had not noticed the sandy-haired boy disappear. She followed their line of sight and indeed found Remus frantically trying to wave them through the double doors of the library. 

If she could just call the attention of a single adult. Maybe, Madam Pince could help her.

With wide eyes, Lily turned to try and call out to the librarian. “Madam Pi-.”

Before she could even finish she heard the sounds of trainers hitting wood hard as though somebody was running a lap within the library. She turned and all of the marauders had vanished before her. Lily let out a small huff as, behind her, the librarian appeared.

“Yes, Miss Evans?” Madam Pince prompted. “Did you call for me?”

“I-It’s nothing, Madam Pince,” Lily grumbled, hanging her head. “I just thought a book was missing, but here it is,” she said, picking up a book she didn’t even bother to read the title of. 

“I had no idea you were a Quidditch fan, Miss Evans,” Madam Pince hummed. 

Lily’s eyes widened as she flipped the book over and read the title on the cover.  _ Quidditch Through The Ages.  _ Because  _ of course. _

“Right, er, well I’m trying new things,” Lily murmured. Her cheeks burning as red as her hair, refusing to make eye contact with the librarian, she awkwardly shuffled away clutching the book tightly to her chest.

* * *

Later that night the marauders all lounged in the common room long after everybody else had gone to bed for the night. One of their favorite agreed upon pastimes was staying up far later than any of their parents would have deemed decent and sleeping in as long as they pleased during the weekends. Or, the boys usually received that luxury while Joanna was awoken by her roommates at the crack of dawn. 

Still, despite the early waking time, she knew she would be receiving she was downstairs with the boys nonetheless still happy to be in their company and partaking in what was fast becoming a weekly habit of theirs.

While they resided in the common room they usually occupied themselves with learning new small spells, homework, reading, or talking the night away.

This night, in particular, seemed to hold all of the above. 

Joanna lounged on the sofa with her feet in Sirius’ lap. On the ground, right in front of Sirius’ legs, James sat in front of the coffee table twirling his wand and flipping through a Charms book to try and learn new spells. Peter sat on the other side of the coffee table under the guise of reading but he was mostly just watching James in awe as the boy worked his way through fourth-year charms. Meanwhile, Remus sat curled up in an armchair on the right side of the common room attempting to read as well but mostly just staring at the same page of his textbook for forty-five minutes letting out irritated sighs every now and then as he had to go back and reread another paragraph. 

Joanna watched the boys with a small smile. “Oi,” she called out, bringing the attention of all the boys to her. “How long do you think we’re all going to be friends?”

The group exchanged bemused looks but while they smiled, it was Sirius who was the first to speak up. “Well, I dunno about you lot but I don’t wanna be stuck with you old farts when I get to be as old as Dumbledore.”

Howls of laughter emerged from the room and Remus threw a small pillow from his chair at Sirius who held up his arms as a makeshift shield.

“Well, we’ve gotta stick together through our time at Hogwarts,” James hummed. “We are the marauders after all,” he said looking up at Joanna with a Cheshire Cat smile.

Joanna kicked him in the head with her barefoot. “You heard that?!”

“Of course he heard it,” Remus snorted. “He was practically tripping over himself to hear what you and Lily were talking about.”

“Oi!” James barked. “That was meant to be our secret!”

“Why does Lily think you need to be rescued from us?” Peter wondered.

“Hold on, one thing at a time,” Joanna frowned. “Let’s start with why the bloody hell James is spying on Evans. Do you fancy her or something?”

“No!” James cried, his rapidly pinkening cheeks testifying otherwise. “I just- Have you see how her hair sort of looks like it’s on fire in the sun? And when she smiles it makes me feel all fuzzy and have any of you paid attention to her in class? She’s so brilliant, she answers almost every question and gets it right,” he beamed. He glanced around the group and found them all watching him, clearly fighting back bursts of laughter. His face fell and he rolled his eyes. “But I don’t bloody  _ fancy her _ .”

Joanna snorted. “Sure, James. Just so you know your girlfriend thinks the lot of you are really hurting my future.”

Sirius choked out a laugh. “If anybody’s damaging us, it’s you,” he hummed, pinching her foot and laughing when she let out a yelp.

“That’s what I told her!” Joanna exclaimed. “But that hardly matters now. James fancies a lost cause and nobody has answered my question!”

“Of course we’ll be together until we’re over a hundred, Kowalski,” Sirius huffed.

“Yeah, even that bloody bugger couldn’t keep me away,” James beamed, jabbing his thumb in Sirius’ direction and make the ladder swat at him.

“I think we’re basically a family now,” Remus decided. “It’d be pretty hard to just cut it all off and run away.”

“If it makes any difference you’re all like brothers and a sister I never got,” Peter piped up. 

“Oh, don’t go wishing for siblings now, Peter, I like you far too much to ever wish that upon you,” Joanna hummed. “Especially brothers. Brothers are about the worst you can get.”

“Here here!” Sirius cried, raising an imaginary cup in the air. 

James snorted and shook his head at the pair on the sofa above him. “So it’s settled then. We’re our own sort of family. The marauder family,” he smirked. He placed his hand out over the table and glanced around at the group. “C’mon then. Put the hands in.”

They all exchanged looks and eventual shrugs, before one by one they all placed their hands over each others, stacking them together and promising themselves to an irreplaceable loyalty. 

“What do we do now then?” Remus wondered, his hand still with the others on the stack.

James looked at Joanna and raised a brow. He hadn’t really thought this bit through.

Joanna snickered. “We-We change the world!” She cried, pulling her hand out and breaking up the stack.

“Oh, good, something simple,” Remus hummed.

The group broke into laughter as they fell into their earlier positions but with a sense of warmth and hearth now enveloping them. Where there might have been unease and anxiety or doubts about the future there was now simplicity. They trusted each other and though the promises of children may mean nothing to most, it meant everything between the five of them and they knew they would go to the ends of the world before breaking that promise. They would be there for each other now and always. There was no question about it.

Later that night, when Peter had fallen asleep on the table and James began snoring Joanna decided it would be a good time to creep away and get the little sleep she was promised before the women of her dorm woke her up.

She slowly dragged her feet off of Sirius' lap, hoping that he was too exhausted to notice. He twitched momentarily and Joanna froze in her tracks, only proceeding when he returned to gradually dozing off. 

Joanna began padding away from the group only to be stopped by the sound of someone clearing their throat. With a wince, she slowly turned around a full explanation on the tip of her tongue only to find Remus smiling gently at her.

"How bad is it in that dorm?" He murmured his voice heavy with fatigue. 

Joanna furrowed her brows, feigning ignorance. "Bad? I have no idea what you mean."

"Oh, c'mon," Remus scoffed. "You spent practically all of last year clearly dodging your roommates to spend more time with us and now the past few times we've stayed up together in the common room you've come back the next day looking like you didn't catch a bit of sleep."

Joanna granted him a weak smile and glanced down at the floor shifting her feet to avoid having to look up at the werewolf. "You're much more observant than I give you credit for."

"Or I'm just the first one who decided to say something about it," Remus proposed. "The others have noticed too. I know they have. I think they were just waiting for a better moment to talk to you about it."

"Yeah, well, if it were up to them we'd probably still be waiting to confront you about your furry little problem," Joanna reminded him. "These lot are not the best at timing."

Remus snorted and shook his head. "That's probably true," he agreed. "Still, this doesn't change my question, Joanna. How bad is it in that dorm? Surely Lily can't be the one doing all this. I know she's friends with the boy who insulted James, James' dad, and Gryffindor, but she didn't seem too terrible."

"She isn't," Joanna shook her head. "James would probably be overjoyed to hear this but I think her heart really is in the right place she just only sees half the picture."

"So, if it isn't Lily then who is it? Who else is even in your dorm?"

"Me, Lily, Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon, and Emmaline Vance," Joanna listed. "It's really just the other three that are the issue. They're friends with Lily and she tells them everything about me and you lot and they take it way harder than she does, I suppose. I dunno if it's because they don't like any of you, or they don't like the pranks, or they don't like the fact that for the past year I haven't exactly attempted anything in the way of friendship with them," she shrugged. "It's hard to tell but I do know one thing for a fact: they don't like me."

"Is there any way you can get a transfer?" Remus wondered. "Maybe, you can be swapped into another dorm and someone else can take your place," he suggested.

"I appreciate the thought but even if I wanted to do that I'm sure it would only make things worse. Besides, I'm sure there's nothing they can do to me that I can't handle. I grew up with five brothers, mind you," Joanna smirked. "So, while I appreciate the concern, I'm sure I'll survive."

Remus smiled slightly and nodded. "Well, if it helps I could tell the others that your roommates may need a bit of a prank to help matters," he offered and Joanna laughed.

"That would be absolutely brilliant. Thanks, Remus."

"Anytime."

Joanna turned and began heading up to the staircase leading into the girl's dormitories. "G'night Remus!" She called.

"Goodnight," Remus hummed as he snuggled bag into his armchair and allowed his eyes to finally flicker shut.


	10. The Morning After

**May 18, 1973**

They were doing it again. Remus sighed. When would they ever stop doing it? He woke up the morning after another full moon to find several people strewn across his mattress in the hospital wing. 

Peter at least had the decency to pull up a chair and simply lean his head on the mattress to sleep, but the others were not quite so courteous. Sirius and Joanna had taken the liberty of curling up on his right and left sides respectively while James was stretched out across Remus’ legs.

The werewolf wondered absentmindedly how they expected him to recover properly if they were suffocating every inch of space he had, but secretly he knew he wouldn’t give this sight up for the world. Having four of your best friends curled up around you, desperate to ensure you were okay and happy after the toughest night of the month was much preferred to waking up in a hospital bed alone with nobody but a nurse you barely knew to keep you company.

He was tempted to climb out of bed and try to find himself some food, or perhaps call for Madam Pomfrey but as he rolled onto his side and his shoulder screamed out in pain he knew that was nothing more than a far-flung hope. He was going to be in bed the entire weekend after that last full moon.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the blanket over his eyes. What he wouldn’t give to have this all taken away from him.

Just as he felt his gut twist and tears prick his eyes against the aches in his body, he felt a soft tap on his back. He furrowed his brows and rolled onto his other side to face a grinning Joanna holding up a half-wrapped bar of chocolate.

“I figured we could split it,” she shrugged. “I asked Madam Pomfrey just before the full moon what might help a young werewolf after the full moon. I think she got a bit suspicious so I lied and told her it was for a Defense essay. If she asks the professor I think he’s slept through enough classes that he’d agree,” she chortled.

 Remus smiled softly and broke off the half of the chocolate bar that had been unwrapped for him. “T-Thank you,” Remus murmured, holding up the chocolate bar as if he were toasting Joanna.

“What are friends for?” Joanna hummed. “Plus, I’ll never give up a chance for chocolate first thing in the morning,” she giggled. She unwrapped the rest of the chocolate bar and tossed the wrapper in a rubbish bin behind her. 

Remus beamed at her and quickly shoved his half of the chocolate bar into his mouth without breaking any pieces off or even trying to be subtle about it.

Joanna barked out a laugh before quickly covering her mouth so she wouldn’t wake the boys. “You’re mad!” She cried, giggling at the werewolf before her. 

Remus laughed, pieces of chocolate now stuck to his teeth as she broke her own chocolate bar into pieces so she could eat it gradually, unlike Remus. 

Every now and then she would pass a few of the pieces she broke off to Remus and when they were done, she pulled a cup of water off the bedside table and passed it to Remus for him to sip.

Remus scooted up the bed to drink and unknowingly, tugged his feet out from under James and woke the poor boy rather rudely.

James groaned and cursed under his breath when he discovered his specs were still on his face. “Oh, is this really a proper friendship if you lot don’t even bother to take my specs off for me when I forget?!” He exclaimed as he pulled his specs off and rubbed his eyes.

Joanna and Remus shared a look before breaking out into a fit of laughter, making James roll his eyes. 

“Yesh, right, laugh at the blind bugger but just know the pair of you are going to hell,” James huffed.

“Brilliant, I’ll save you a seat when we get there,” Joanna grinned.

James clearly tried to fight against it, but a smile twisted against his lips and he let out a snort. “Knowing you, you’d probably give me the worst seat in hell.”

“Only the greatest honors for my closest friends,” Joanna hummed, bowing slightly even as she was sitting.

“Shut up,” Sirius huffed, rolling over onto his face on the mattress and making all three of the marauders lying awake laugh at him. Sirius groaned louder and pulled a pillow out from under him to throw in the general direction of the trio. James caught the pillow and rose to his feet on the mattress only to walk over and begin beating Sirius with the pillow.

Sirius let out strangled yelps as he covered his hair from James’ assault. “Foul! Foul! Foul!” Sirius screamed even as James didn’t let up.

“Oi, poor sportsmanship!” Joanna barked. She grabbed a pillow from the bed beside them and hit James in the legs with it. 

James collapsed onto his back and peered at Joanna with wide eyes. “Who’s side are you on?!”

Sirius peeked out from where he was hiding beneath his arms from James’ attacks. Once he saw the coast was clear, he smirked and leaped to the bed to the right of Remus’ mattress. He grabbed a pillow from there while Joanna jumped to hit James repeatedly with her pillow.

“I’m on the side of justice, James Potter!” Joanna hollered.

Peter, having been awoken by the antics of the others, snatched two pillows from other mattresses and tossed one of the pillows to Remus. “Remus, ammo!” He called and the werewolf laughed as Peter leaped in to start attacking Joanna.

Peter hit Joanna on the side of her head with his pillow and she tumbled away from James as Sirius took over attacking James and Joanna took to fending off Peter.

Remus, on the other hand, clutched the pillow Peter had tossed to him to his stomach and watched his friends with a small smile. He wasn’t sure what he had done to receive friends who were as wonderful as them but he was certainly counting his blessings.

Perhaps, the universe had decided his furry little problem offered enough grievances for one lifetime and it was only fair that he got plenty of good to make up for the bad. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to do anything to try and push it away- that much he knew for certain. If he kept this luck around long enough, he figured he may be able to live with that furry little problem for the rest of his days.

However, just as soon as the fun had started it was put to an end but the sound of someone clearing their throat.

The marauders all froze in the middle of their pillow fight; James and Sirius were fighting over the same pillow- the other pillow somehow ending up on the other side of the room, Peter had his foot on Joanna’s stomach and his pillow waving in the air as though he were declaring her for House Pettigrew, Joanna was planning a sneak attack on Peter- her pillow already poised against his back and a small smile on her lips.

They all looked to the entrance of the hospital wing to find Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey standing there appearing very displeased with the group. 

“Children, are you aware that it is Friday morning?” Professor McGonagall implored with a raised brow. “It is not a weekend and therefore you have no right to come and visit Mister Lupin at this time.”

“B-But Professor we’re all horrible ill,” Joanna stated and the boy shared a quick wide-eyed look. Immediately they began dropping and clutching their stomachs and heads, moaning terribly like ghouls.

“Yes,” the boys groaned.

“If this sudden sickness is not debilitating enough to keep you from engaging in a pillow fight then certainly it’s not bad enough to allow you to skip classes,” Professor McGonagall insisted.

“But Professor,” James huffed. “It’s this new sort of sickness where the only cure is pillow fights. It’s called Pillow Mania and it is very real. If you don’t engage in a pillow fight at least once every hour your head will transfigure into a pillow!”

“That’s why we’ve all got terrible headaches, our brains are trying to become pillows!” Sirius exclaimed.

Professor McGonagall looked thoroughly unimpressed and Remus couldn’t help but think their overzealous nature and his snickering might have had something to do with it.

“Mm. Quite,” Professor McGonagall hummed. “Well, children, I’m afraid we’re just going to have to take that risk seeing as illness or not Madam Pomfrey needs to tend to Remus which means you four cannot be hovering over every little thing she does.”

“Oh, Remus, she’s trying to break us apart!” Joanna cried, latching onto Remus’ arm and clinging tightly.

“We won’t let you tear this family up!” Sirius hollered, latching onto Remus’ other arm while the werewolf himself found he could not stop laughing.

“Oh, children, honestly,” Professor McGonagall huffed as she marched up to the group. “You can visit him again in a few hours at lunch.”

“A lot can happen in a few hours, Professor,” Peter stated.

Joanna nodded furiously and pointed towards Peter repeatedly. “That-That boy right there. He’s onto something you know.”

“He will be under my protection,” Madam Pomfrey snapped. “I have never had a student be injured once while they were under my care.”

“There’s a first time for everything you know,” James shrugged, lounging across Remus’ legs like he had done while he was sleeping that night. 

Remus barked out a laugh but Professor McGonagall looked positively murderous. 

“Alright!” Professor McGonagall leaned forward and grabbed the ears of both Joanna and Sirius, twisting them torturously as she pulled them forward towards her.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” The pair screamed as they were tugged out of the hospital alongside Professor McGonagall.

James and Peter rushed to follow looking positively outraged at the sight of their friends being handled so cruelly.

“Unhand them at once, Madam!” James hollered. “This is a crime against Godric Gryffindor himself!”

“There should be laws against this sort of thing it isn’t equal treatment!” Peter shrieked.

“Frankly, I have to say Professor this is quite sexist,” Sirius remarked, allowing himself to be towed along and no longer swiping at the hand on his ear like Joanna still was. “Is this because Miss Kowalski and I are both women?” He wondered.

Joanna snorted and James let out a choked laugh while Peter beamed at Sirius. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, found it far from amusing and simply rolled her eyes at the boy. “Truthfully, Mister Black, if you wish to begin identifying yourself as a woman I would see that as more of a sexist act than anything I can do to any of the genders.”

That was the final straw until every marauder but Sirius began roaring with laughter and McGonagall had the audacity to look the slightest bit pleased with herself for her entertainment of the pranksters. 

With that, she gently pushed the group out of the hospital wing and into the corridor. “Leave Mister Lupin to his treatment for now and go to your classes. Between classes and during meals you may visit him but do not think for a moment I will allow you to get away with skipping your lessons to see your friend.”

The marauders all let out annoyed moans but none raised verbal objections so with that, she slammed the double doors to the hospital wing closed on them.

“What have we got first?” Joanna wondered, rubbing her ear and wincing against the stings of pain.

“Slughorn,” Sirius sighed. “She claims this isn’t sexism but I fail to see how it’s supposed to be anything but. We haven’t even got a good potion. It’s the bloody strengthening solution.”

“Well, you’ll be needing that when McGonagall tries to rip your ear off again,” Peter suggested.

“Oh, thanks for that, Pete,” Sirius bit back.

“Calm down, Sirius,” Joanna sighed, draping her arm over the shoulders of her oldest friend. “Remus will live without us for the lesson. He’s a strong bastard and besides we can always brew Remus a batch of strengthening solution and make him virtually unstoppable,” she giggled. “How bloody cool would that be?”

Sirius smirked softly and hung his head. “I hate leaving him alone after we wasted all that time not helping him before,” he murmured.

“That’s not our fault,” Joanna assured him. “I’m absolutely certain most people don’t think to check if their friend is a werewolf when he disappears once every month. Did his excuses get a bit strange from time to time? Sure, but we all naturally assumed it was nothing major,” she paused. “I know you did too James stop looking at me like that. The only reason you found out what he is was a stupid accident.”

James rolled his eyes and grumbled a bit under his breath but didn’t raise any objections.

With that, the four of them headed to the dungeons to attend potions class with Slughorn unwillingly leaving Remus alone in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey.


	11. Berlin

**June 20, 1993**

Sirius realized very quickly the fatal flaw in their plan to find Joanna in Berlin: they had no idea where she lived and seeing as Sirius was an internationally wanted criminal it wasn’t as simple as going around and asking everybody.

Remus took the liberty of at least attempting to do so, pulling out photos of Joanna from their luggage and asking around but his actions were only hindered by his absolutely rubbish German. 

Even if they stood a better chance, Sirius couldn’t help the underlying feeling that no matter if they were fluent in German or not they wouldn’t stand good chances of finding someone who recognized her. 

She said herself on her list that she needed to be living alone away from people.

Sirius furrowed her brows as Remus practically chased down a poor brown-haired German woman only to frantically wave Joanna’s picture in front of her wildly giving him the image of some crazed stalker. 

There had to be a registry or something they could check to try and figure out if she was still living here. 

He glanced behind him at the British Foreign Ministry. They had to at least have some sort of record of a British witch that appeared right at the end of the war. If the Ministry had been hunting down Death Eaters in Berlin they would need the records.

“Moony!” Sirius called and the werewolf froze as he was making an attempt to speak German with a small child. “She might be in there under an alias,” he proposed, jabbing his thumb towards the building behind him.

Remus narrowed his eyes at the building before promptly tossing his photos over his shoulder and rolling his eyes while the child made a quick getaway. “You might’ve mentioned that earlier?!” He snapped.

Sirius chuckled and shrugged. “Only just thought of it,” he hummed. “Sorry, Rem.”

Remus grit his teeth and marched up the steps to the Ministry past Sirius. “I hate you.”

Sirius scoffed. “You absolutely adore me.”

“Shut up or I’ll abandon you in Berlin with nothing but your wits.”

“Oh, but my wits have gotten me so very far my furry little friend,” Sirius hummed. “Now, go forth and conquer the Foreign Ministry, my dear friend.”

Remus flipped him off and stormed inside while Sirius was left to wait outdoors. He looked out over Berlin with a small smile as he thought of Joanna roaming the streets around him. According to her own notes, this seemed to be the first place she found even a chance of safety in and part of him couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing. She never enjoyed the idea of traveling growing up because of all the work that had to be put into it and all the fuss her family made. It always seemed to be a bigger grievance than it was worth so the fact that her life now consisted of traveling was more irony than he could have ever dreamed of for her.

He hoped vaguely that this would be the place where they found her but part of him knew in his gut it wouldn’t be this easy. They may stand a better chance at finding her than the Ministry did but it’s hardly going to be so simple. 

Sirius closed his eyes and despite himself, allowed his mind to wander back to his first few days in Azkaban. The days when he thought he would never make it out for the rest of his life and he would be prosecuted for a crime that the guilty man was running free for. 

They allowed him the daily paper back then and the only thing that managed to keep him from losing all control was keeping track of the fates that befell his friends no matter how grim they may be.

There was a memorial for James and Lily Potter but the child had survived. Remus Lupin had gone into seclusion with the ruin of his friends. He lived in a small cabin in the woods by himself. Peter Pettigrew was claimed to be deceased. Joanna Kowalski was missing in action.

That was the story he clung to. Not that he had much of a choice. Nothing further resurfaced about the others no matter how diligently he combed the papers.

The search went on every day for a year until it was called off for lack of any evidence for the past six months. She was declared deceased and that was it. Her name was never brought up again just like the rest of the marauders. 

They were scrubbed from the world like a dirty stain the wizarding world finally managed to bleach out.

He no longer needed to read the papers after that though he did skin them to keep tabs on the Kowalski’s after Joanna had been declared dead. He knew even as the dementors tried to suck every memory of her from him that if she were truly gone she would have been spending her every second in the afterlife begging him to look after her family.

Twelve years. Twelve years in Azkaban and the only things that kept him sane were revenge and the memory of her.

He reached into his coat pocket with shaky fingers and smoothed his thumb over the tattered picture he had kept on him for years now. It was one of the few possessions he had to his name as a wanted man and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

The picture was grainy as it dated all the way back to the start of their seventh-year but it was of Joanna, wearing one of Moony’s cardigans and Sirius’ shirts with a pizza in her hands smirking at James. She quickly notices the camera on her and turns to shove it out of Sirius’ hands. 

Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and wished he could jump back into that moment where life was good and the world was forgotten.

Meanwhile, Remus flicked through the images the elderly secretary had given him. A few well placed lies, a photo of Joanna, and a subtle suggestion to contact Professor Dumbledore got him all the information they had on any women matching Joanna’s description.

Many were false leads. He found a few muggle-born women who had fled England around the time of the First Wizarding War, a few women he was certain were Death Eaters and a few women who just seemed to be on the run from something even though he couldn’t tell what. He began to lose hope quickly and he knew in his gut he didn’t have as much faith in this trip as Sirius did. 

Though Remus cared about the Animagus and would surely die for him, he was beginning to suspect the man didn’t remember everything about his relationship with Joanna. He seemed to only see the good, to remember her as a great poem gone before her time, but Remus knew better.

After Hogwarts all the Marauders had briefly lived together and seeing as by then Sirius and Joanna had been a couple, they shared a room. Remus roomed across the corridor from them and was frequently forced awake by their loud arguments through the night and more than once he would hear the sound of something crashing bring thrown by one at the other. The first few times he heard the sound of glass shattering he had bolted into the room and been met with absolute hostility and screams, but he supposed he should consider himself lucky.

The only time either of them had snapped at him was yelling at him to get out and throwing the occasional pillow at the door. 

Neither Sirius nor Joanna never found themselves as lucky as him when their violent emotions collided with each other.

Sometimes they were petty arguments over lost items, or one of them coming home far too pissed, but with the war raging on in the background of their attempts at a relationship everyone was certain their relationship wasn’t strong enough to stand the arguments bound to ensue.

Remus himself worried more than once that they would end up killing one another while arguing they shouldn’t take unnecessary risks and get themselves killed. 

Remus huffed and leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as a flood of memories resurfaced.

_ It was nearly three am and they were at it again. In fact, they had been at it for the past three hours so he believed he should curse them for continuing to go at it.  _

_ They did realize their next Order meeting was first thing in the morning, right? Who was he kidding? Of course, they did. In fact, he was certain that only fueled their anger. _

_ If they tried to sleep all day this time he swore to himself he would wake them up. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this. There should be laws against this sort of thing. He wasn’t in this relationship so why did he have to sit up all night listening to them yell? _

_ Remus heard something slam and he jumped slightly. This was the part that always scared him. They could very easily accidentally injure one another and then what would happen? How would any of them explain to the others that Sirius or Joanna got injured not from the Death Eaters but from each other? _

_ All of a sudden, there was another slam but this wasn’t within their bedroom. This was their bedroom door.  _

_ Remus scrambled to his feet and ran to the door, his marauding nature peeking through desperate to snoop even though his better judgment screamed otherwise.  _

_ He cracked the door ever so slightly just in time to see Sirius slinging on his leather jacket and marching down to the staircase.  _

_ Joanna ran out quickly after wearing one of her Quidditch jerseys that turned out to be much too big and she had resolved to only wear to bed. Her fingers were bleeding but Remus knew automatically it wasn’t an injury from whatever had been slammed within the room, it was far more likely it was an injury from trying to pick up broken shards of something. Her makeup was smudged all around her eyes and her hair was a wreck falling out from all ends of her bun. _

_ “Don’t fucking leave you, coward!” Joanna screamed. “This isn’t fair and you bloody well know it! Sirius!” _

_ The front door to the house slammed loudly. _

_ Joanna let out a scream of frustration. “Fine! See if I’m here when you get back!” She hollered. _

_ That made Remus rise to action.  _

_ Joanna collapsed into a heap at the top of the stairs, silent sobs shaking her body as Remus slowly creaked open the door. _

_ “Joanna?” Remus breathed. “Are you alright?” _

_ Joanna turned back with wide eyes and in the split second she spotted Remus, she whipped back around and scrubbed at her eyes even though it hardly did a thing by the time Remus reached her side. _

_ “Did we wake you?” Joanna breathed, not meeting Remus’ eyes.  _

_ Remus chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck as though it might ease the tension. “You usually do,” he murmured. _

_ Joanna cursed lightly. “I’m sorry. I just- He’s,” she shook her head. “We sort of get along like thunder and rain. Can’t get along without each other but it’s destructive when we do.” _

_ “That’s one way to put it,” Remus nodded. “But what was it? Normally you two don’t storm off. You just pass out or end up shagging like bloody rabbits.” _

_ Joanna snorted then quickly clasped her hands over her mouth as though her laughter was somehow forbidden. She sighed softly and hung her head. “I-I wanted to go back to Hogwarts. I hear Snivellus is planning on taking up a job there and I just know it’s going to end badly, especially seeing as my brother is still there. Sirius said it would be unnecessary seeing as I’m needed here and I might have suggested that I’m going to be going no matter what he says.” She took a deep breath and smirked at Remus though it was a smirk lacking any kind of joy. “He didn’t take too kindly to that, as you just saw.” _

_ “Is he the one that threw something?”  _

_ Joanna chortled and nodded as she held up her hand to inspect. “Funny enough it’s usually me throwing things at him. Small things, mind you, and well away from where it can hurt him. This time it was him throwing some bloody bowl we keep spare change in. I tried to clean up, and, well,” she held up her hand to finish her sentence, demonstrating the blood on them. “He yelled there was no point and I foolishly jabbed back that he must think the same thing about my brother then and he yelled at me for being thick enough to compare my brother to a bowl before storming off.” _

_ Remus inhaled deeply through his nose and fished his wand out of his pocket. He often left it on his person when he heard them arguing in case situations like this arose. He couldn’t be sure if Moody would hollering about constant vigilance due to the risk of him falling asleep with his wand in his pocket or patting him on the back for ensuring he was always prepared. _

_ Nevertheless, he took Joanna’s hand into his own and softly muttered healing charms. “Are you really going to leave?” Remus wondered softly as he finished healing her hand. _

_ Joanna looked to him and for the first time in a long time, Remus saw a vulnerability he hadn’t seen since before she began dating Sirius. Her eyes looked small and innocent like he might expect from a child asking if Santa Claus was real, but there was a weariness behind her eyes as well. She was tired but she wasn’t giving in to that exhaustion. She never had and she never would. _

_ Joanna looked away and within mere seconds that resolve he had known was back. She wore her mask well and he was willing to bet she hadn’t even realized it slipped. _

_ “No,” she murmured. “How can I? I want to protect my brother but at the same time I want to protect him,” she said, waving her hand towards the bottom of the stairs and Remus knew she was talking about Sirius. “Without him,” she let out a shaky breath and shook her head.  Without elaborating any further she stood up and headed back to her room. “Thank you for healing my hand,” she said, waving to him. “Sorry for waking you, goodnight, Remus.” _

_ “Wait, Joanna-,” Remus began. He was no fool. He knew that going to bed with unresolved issues was never a good idea but Joanna didn’t exactly seem to care.  _

_ The door slammed shut and Remus was left standing alone in the corridor. _

_ Early that morning, Remus woke to the sound of the front door slamming and heavy footfall on the stairs. Someone was running inside.  _

_ He scrambled into a sitting position and grabbed his wand only to hear the door to Sirius and Joanna’s bedroom slam shut. _

_ “Kowalski!” He heard Sirius’ voice cry, but it wasn’t out of anger, it sounded more strained and desperate. Maybe he truly thought she was going to leave? But if he did why hadn’t he come back sooner? _

_ Remus listened briefly as the pair cried loudly before placing his wand back on his bedside table and curling up to sleep. He truly doubted their relationship would last through the war. It was far too fragile to hold. _

Still, despite his doubts there, he sat flicking through profiles Germany had on several young witches until his eye caught sight of something he truly hadn’t believed he’d see. There was a girl with short blonde hair and roots as dark as what Joanna’s had once been listed in the profiles. 

It wasn’t much and the picture was blurry but every identifying trait listed was most certainly her.

_ “One point six meters. Scar across right palm (werewolf in origin), four scars shooting across abdomen (werewolf in origin), two scars around left ankle (werewolf in origin), scar across the left side of the neck (battle origins), bruising across abdomen (battle origins), scarring across right side of head (sport origins). British female. Half-blood. Alder wood wand, unicorn hair, 10” in length, slightly springy flexibility. Attended Hogwarts, house  _ **_unknown_ ** _. Name:  _ **_unknown_ ** _. Currently residing in a safe house at this address until further information can be willingly gathered.” _

Remus jotted down the address quickly and carefully, sure not to make any mistakes, his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t hold the hope that Sirius did. He couldn’t find it in him anymore. Not after that Halloween. But he did try to believe in impossible things and this was certainly one of them. 

Taking a deep breath, he ensured he got the address right before gathering all the files he had borrowed and heading back to the front desk to return everything.


	12. Halloween and Worried Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy October! I wanted to write a Halloween chapter but I knew if I pushed it any further that the first few days of the month it would never be done so enjoy!

**October 31st, 1973**

Halloween was in full swing within the walls of Hogwarts’ western tower and James couldn’t have been happier. It was rare that everything should go perfectly when the party was rushed by the Marauders after Remus had dealt with the full moon five days prior. 

James had screamed to his friends that they needed a proper plan for Halloween. They couldn’t just pull a measly prank and call it a day, they were teenagers now and Halloween deserved better.

That was when Joanna absentmindedly whilst eating her breakfast put forth the idea that they might throw a Halloween party in Gryffindor tower and James promptly proceed to stand on top of the Gryffindor table and loudly announce the party they were throwing on Halloween night.

Joanna had only just stopped cursing him for the number of times she had to sneak into the kitchens to get food and drinks for the entire house, but he knew it was worth it.

Across the common room, he could see countless people getting tipsy on firewhiskey, snogging in dark corners and having more fun than he could have dreamed the Marauders could bring forth in the first party they had ever thrown.

Well, that was everybody except one dour boy tucked away in a corner sipping butterbeer and scowling. James rolled his eyes. He cared about Sirius Black, truly, but even he could see a lost cause and that was saying a lot considering the girl he fancied was up in her dorm alone trying to force herself to sleep rather than engage in the “raucous behavior in the common room” as she called it. Sirius wouldn’t admit it to the Marauders, much less to himself but James was pretty sure he and Joanna were the only two people that knew the Black heir better than he knew himself and with one of those spending nearly all her time with the Prewett twins as of late the other was fairly certain he knew what was irritating the pureblood boy.

At that moment, in fact, Joanna was sitting beside one of the Prewett twins (likely Gideon given that he just heard three Gryffindor girls gushing over “Fab’s Beater arms”) laughing terribly loud and not offering any help with Sirius’ jealousy. 

James tangled internally with whether or not he should talk to the boy or try and engage one of the women in Lily’s dorm in conversation but eventually, his goodness won out and with a small huff he plopped down beside Sirius.

“What does she even want from them?” Sirius hissed, low enough for James to understand and speaking with the total knowledge that James knew just who he was watching.

“You know the longer you stare the creepier this gets,” James remarked. 

Sirius snorted. “You’re one to talk,” he remarked. “How often do you stare at Evans during classes?”

“Yes, but I do it when she’s being particularly pretty and I know she has no idea that I’m watching her. Albeit, a few times she’s caught me but the most she does is glare at me so I reckon I’m in the clear there. You full well know she’s aware you’re watching her and if I were her I’d be putting on more of a show just for that.”

“But I don’t get it,” Sirius snapped, slamming his butterbeer down on a nearby table. “She’s never shown any interest in the Prewett twins before this year and now all of a sudden they’re bezzy mates?” 

“That’s what happens when you get to know someone, mate,” James sighed. “Look at it this way, at least she’s not spending all her time with some Slytherins.”

“She might as well be,” Sirius grumbled. Gideon Prewett leaned forward and whispered something into Joanna’s making her eyes widen before gradually a smile crept across her lips and she hugged him tightly as he laughed. Sirius rolled his eyes at the show. “She acts as though she fancies him.”

“Maybe, she does,” James shrugged. “Would that be so bad?” He asked, turning to raise a brow at Sirius.

Sirius looked absolutely livid. “Of course, it would be bad!” He cried. “He’s nearly two years older than her and a twin. An identical twin nonetheless. They’re only going to end up messing with her and I can’t believe she would be so-!”

“So what, Sirius?” A voice hissed and both James and Sirius froze like statues, James barely able to hear his own heartbeat as he slowly looked up at Joanna’s glaring face. “Well?” She prompted, raising a brow and crossing her arms at Sirius. “Finish your thought.”

Sirius was, for the first time in his life, at a loss for words. “I-I.”

“No, you know what? Don’t finish your thought because I already know what you’re going to say and if I hear you say those words I’ll be even less able to forgive you than I already am,” Joanna snapped and Sirius turned pale as a ghost. “For your information, yes, I fancy Gideon but it’s hardly any of your business seeing as I already told him and he said fancies me too but he wants to be mates first. Also, what you just so happened to be spying on was me asking Gideon how he got Quidditch tryouts and if he thought James and I would be good Chasers. He said yes and told me the captain would be practicing on the field tomorrow around noon. If we made ourselves seen we might be able to get a tryout, no thanks to you.” Turning her attention away from Sirius completely, she looked to James and brightened immensely. “James, I’ll be out there practicing for about an hour or so before noon so you can just meet me out there whenever you like.”

“Thanks,” James gasped, his eyes were wide before with a jolt he remembered the man beside him. He furrowed his brows and glanced warily at Sirius out of the corner of his eye. The poor boy was absolutely fuming as he glared up at Joanna, the latter of which paid him no mind. 

With a quick smile, she turned and headed straight back to the Prewett twins where Gideon welcomed her with open arms and she laughed as she leaped into his embrace.

“She thinks that she can just-.”

“Before you finish that thought ask yourself if it’s going to be unnecessarily cruel about her getting me a Quidditch audition,” James instructed and Sirius rolled his eyes.

He opened his mouth to speak but when James raised a brow at him, he hesitated. There was a moment of silence before eventually he hung his head and sighed softly. “She could have gotten me a Quidditch audition,” he murmured.

“They’re only trying out for Chasers right now,” James smiled. “But I’ll be sure to let her know you want to kick her boyfriend out of his position as Beater.”

“He’s not her boyfriend!” Sirius snapped, dark eyes growing icy cold in his anger potentially scaring anyone who didn’t know him as well as James. 

“He will be soon if the way she was talking was anything to go by and you’re either gonna have to get used to that, mate, or fess up and tell her you like her.”

“I don’t fancy her,” Sirius moaned. “I just wish she didn’t have to spend so much bloody time with him.”

James snorted and draped his arm over Sirius’ shoulders. “Next time you tell me to stop complaining about Evans and Snivellus I’m going to buy you a Pensieve so you can look back on this moment and see how utterly wretched you look over Jo.”

Sirius smirked and shook his head as he sighed softly at his best friend. “As if I could look anything but jaw-droppingly gorgeous,” he scoffed. 

“And there’s the Sirius Black Joanna knows and despises!” James exclaimed with a laugh, greatly enjoying taking the piss out of Sirius for his crush as he had done to James countless times over Lily.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but it only turned into a moan. James followed his line of sight right to where Gideon was escorting Joanna out of the portrait hole.

“He doesn’t deserve her,” Sirius mumbled. 

James sighed deeply and pulled Sirius closer to him in a strange but meaningful side hug, though he wasn’t certain if Sirius thought it more meaningful than awkward.

“Maybe, he does. Maybe, he doesn’t. But if we try to stop them from being together or dating you know very well, she's not only going to despise us but she’s going to ensure our lives are living hells from this day until the end of our days at Hogwarts.”

Sirius snorted and hung his head. “Persistent, our Kowalski.”

“And scary,” James agreed. “Brilliant and a right laugh to be around, but scary. Now c’mon,” James said, standing up and tugging Sirius to his feet behind him. “The night is still young and we need more scares than Joanna getting angry with you,” he proclaimed and Sirius laughed as he was dragged to the food and drinks table.

James and Sirius shared a look and these days that seemed to be all they ever needed. It was still fresh and occasionally there were still many blunders over their assumption that a look was all they would ever need but as time passed it seemed to be working more and more and as Sirius immediately crawled under the table he knew that it had succeeded once again.

James plucked bright red apples off the bowl on the table and one by one passed them under the table to Sirius, careful to keep an idea of his surroundings so nobody would spot what they were doing. 

One by one, Sirius passed back large black spiders which James placed carefully across the table allowing them to crawl as they pleased once they were placed.

James fought hard against the smile itching against his lips as the spiders made their way through the common room. This was always the hardest part of pranks for him. Ever since their first prank, he fought hard against bursting out laughing when he pictured the reactions of those around him. More than once Joanna and Sirius had to clasp their hands over his mouth to control him. 

James held out his hand to help Sirius to his feet and with an exchanged nod thy then proceeded to move to opposite sides of the common room. 

Sirius plucked the pillows off the sofas where people were already snogging or blackout drunk and transfigured them into decorative organs that you might find decorating a Muggle home during a Halloween party. He drenched each organ he transfigured in butterbeer or pumpkin juice and then placed them back onto the sofa, precariously positioning them so they looked realistic enough that many in their drunken states wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Meanwhile, James grabbed all silverware and transfigured them into dog bones which he then placed back where they had been; a long bone in the bowl of pumpkin juice, several small bones surrounding bowls of candy, and one bone on each platter of cake or food ready to be taken. 

James met Sirius back in the center of the common room and they took a few brief moments to analyze their work before they turned to each other with bright smiles and high-fived.

“Brilliant work, Mister Black, if I do say so myself.”

“Oh, you’re not too bad yourself, Mister Potter, lovely bone work,” Sirius chuckled. 

It was at that very moment the shrieks began. 

“Spiders! Spiders!” A feminine voice cried and James couldn’t fight back the bright smile that spread across his lips as the common room quickly descended into chaos, many drunken Gryffindors tripping over themselves to scramble back up to the dorms.

The transfigured items would, of course, be left on display for their fellow Gryffindors to either dismiss it as a drunken daze that scared them or a bloody brilliant Halloween party.

As the Gryffindors ran from the utterly harmless spiders, organs, and bones, Joanna came back into the common room at that very moment. 

She watched the scene with wide eyes before understanding quickly dawned on her and James caught her bright grin at their antics. Gideon caught up with his brother, neither being drunk but entirely amused by the scene that laid before them. 

James had no doubt that they were likely the only two that realized everything around them had been transfigured. 

A few boys were kicked out of the girl’s dormitories they had tried to run into with a massive slide and by James’ side, Sirius roared with laughter. 

Joanna waltzed past them, grabbing a cup of pumpkin juice and a slice of cake, brushing a prying spider away from her platter. She raised her cup to James and he raised his wand with a small smirk making her snort as she headed up to her dorm.

“Are you sure you should bring the cake up there?” James called as she started up the steps.

“I’m hungry, piss off I got you Quidditch!”

“Not yet I have to get on the team!” James hollered scurrying up to the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, that’s hardly my bloody job!”

And with that, she was gone. James chuckled softly and shook his head as he headed back to Sirius’ side. The boy had tensed up once again and James just sighed as he wrapped an arm around his mate. He would admit, he could certainly see why the boy fancied her. She was kind, brilliant, and a bloody riot to be around but he didn’t think he could feel anything like what he felt for Lily towards her. When he looked at Joanna he saw a sister. Sure, they had made the vow to each other that they were basically family, therefore, seeing her as a sibling was expected but she felt more like she could be his sister than Remus or Peter could be his brother. He cared about the boys of course, but there was something odd about the way he interacted with Sirius and Joanna compared to them.

If his mother and father had told him they managed to have three children in the same year and Sirius and Joanna were the other two, he wouldn’t be surprised. That’s how close they felt. There was no doubt in his mind that they were blood, maybe not by birth but since when did that stop anybody?

It killed him seeing Sirius so distraught over Joanna and Joanna so determined to avoid his mood swings. When the five of them were together they were unstoppable but if Joanna kept avoiding Sirius? If Sirius didn’t set aside his irritations for the sake of the Marauders? What then?

Feeling his stomach begin to twist, James knew he needed advice. Guidance. Someone who could pull him out of his head and give him a right smack across the face.

James took a deep breath and clapped a hand on Sirius’ back. “I’m gonna go pick Remus and Peter up from detention.”

Sirius looked positively horrified. “You’re going to leave me here to clean all this up on my own?!” He exclaimed, clenching his chest. “I always do everything for this family; I feed the kids, I clean your messes, I have a job too you know, James Potter!”

James beamed at Sirius and huffed. “Well, look who’s picking up the children, Mister Black! Me! I’m picking up the slack so you can clean up one more mess.”

Sirius scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You are just itching for a divorce.”

James snickered as he headed out to the portrait hole. “If we get a divorce, you can take the ruddy kids. They like you more anyway.”

“Why of course they do!” Sirius cried.

With a laugh, James headed out of the portrait hole and headed down to the transfiguration classroom where he was certain Remus and Peter would just be getting out of the detention they were serving. It was rare that Remus and Peter served the detentions rather than James, Sirius, and Joanna. Remus and Peter seemed to have a certain knack for never getting caught while outside of his boisterous nature, James had the severe disadvantage of Snivellus and Evans utterly despising him.

Still, James enjoyed the fact that the trio had been playing Quidditch when Remus and Peter were caught slipping the aging potion into the Hufflepuff pumpkin juice supply. The Marauders had planned this to be their big prank of the year, slipping aging potion into the pumpkin juice supply every third day. Unfortunately, now that Remus and Peter had been caught and Peter confessed everything on the spot they were going to have to wait at least a month before starting again.

Professor McGonagall had likely tried to insist that they forget the prank altogether as she usually did when they got caught but the cogs were already turning in James’ mind on how to keep from being caught a second time now that suspicions would arise. 

He sighed softly as he hopped down the last flight of stairs and within seconds he heard Peter’s loud but squeaky voice.

“-and of all the nights, Halloween?” Peter huffed. “She could have postponed it for a single day.”

“I think that was probably the point, Peter,” Remus remarked and James heard Peter groan.

“I know but I still want to complain.”

As soon as they got closer, James stepped out into the middle of the corridor and beamed at his friends. “Evening, gents.”

Remus smirked knowingly at James and slowly shook his head. “Peter, why don’t you head off ahead? I’m sure Sirius could use some help cleaning up whatever they did this Halloween.”

Peter furrowed his brows as he looked between the two men and hesitated but with one nod away from James he scurried off down the corridor towards Gryffindor Tower while James marched up to Remus’ side. 

“How bad is it?” Remus sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked slowly beside his friend. 

James took a deep breath and shook his head, running his hands through his relentlessly messy hair that drove nearly anybody who tried to lay a finger on it insane. “I’m worried. She said she fancies Gideon and they’re going to be mates first but that means they’re likely going to end up dating-.”

“And Sirius will go absolutely mad,” Remus nodded in understanding. “We need to divert his focus away from her until they can both get adjusted to her spending less time with us.”

“What do you mean?” James frowned. “Do you think this doesn’t have to be permanent?”

“Of course not,” Remus chuckled. “They’re just too dramatic for their own good like you.”

“Oi!” James snapped. “Says the man who nearly collapsed when we found out his furry little secret,” he chortled. “As if we could ever dislike you.”

“Hey now, that was well-founded!” Remus proclaimed. “You locking yourself in the dorms for a week after Lily dumped pumpkin juice on you when you stood on the Gryffindor table and announced you were feeling a particular interest in gingers this week was not.”

“She broke my heart!” James cried, clutching his chest and staring at his friend with wide eyes. “Honestly, Remus of all the people I’d think you would care about my emotions.” 

“I care about any emotion that doesn’t involve you pointlessly flinging yourself over a girl who completely hates you.”

“Not completely!” James objected. “We don’t know that it’s completely. I’m holding out hope for that little bit of love that will allow me to slowly work my way into her heart.”

“That would take a while.”

“My dear friend,” James sighed, resting his arm on Remus’ shoulder. “We have got nothing but time.” He took a deep breath and spun around so he was walking backward and facing Remus who chuckled at him. “So you really think we can save Sirius and Joanna before they absolutely combust before our eyes?”

“His birthday is coming up,” Remus reminded the boy. “Why don’t we plan something better than whatever we’ve done before with Peter and Joanna and with any luck he’ll forget all about her dating a Prewett twin.”


End file.
